Tag: american bird conservancy

The Hawaiian word ʻākepa means “quick” or “nimble,” words which describe this small, finch-like bird perfectly. The Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa, which is endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi, was once considered part of a larger species that included other ʻākepas found on Oʻahu and Maui. In 2015, the three were split into separate species on the basis of differences in vocalizations, genetics, and behavior. Unfortunately, the Oʻahu ʻĀkepa and Maui ʻĀkepa are now considered extinct, additional casualties of the ongoing conservation and extinction crisis in the Hawaiian Islands.

Another close relative

Seabirds have been a part of human exploration of the ocean from the start; icons of the comedy, grace, and challenge of a life at sea. They have been sailors’ teachers of geography and guides home. But while seabirds are long-revered by maritime communities, they are nearly invisible to the majority of people who live inland.

Starting in 2024, a group of six fellows set out to explore the connections between people and seabirds and bring more attention to these often forgotten birds. ABC’s Seabirds and Stories of Multi-Species Kinship

Teetering, bobbing, and darting along the water’s edge or springing into shallow, stiff-winged flight with a soft weet-weet-weet call, the Spotted Sandpiper is a distinctive and delightful sight. During its breeding season this bird shows a densely-spotted throat and breast (reminiscent of a Wood Thrush’s), a black-tipped orange bill, brown back, and white eyebrow, or supercilium, that extends behind the eye. Even without its eponymous spots, which are absent during the nonbreeding season, the Spotted Sandpiper’s telltale foraging behaviors and flight style make it easy to identify.

The “Spotty” is