Loxops caeruleirostris
The Akekee, or Kauai Akepa, is a vibrant, diminutive Hawaiian honeycreeper, showcasing a striking yellow-green head and underparts, fading to a slightly duller olive-green back and wings, with darker primary feathers. Males are generally brighter, while females and immatures are duller and more olive. A key identifying feature is its distinctive, slightly crossed bill, with the lower mandible typically curving to the right, though less dramatically pronounced than in the true Akepa (Loxops co...
This species exclusively inhabits high-elevation, humid native forests, primarily between 1,000 to 1,600 meters (3,300-5,200 feet), dominated by 'ōhi'a (Metrosideros polymorpha) and koa (Acacia koa) trees.
The primary diet consists of arthropods, mainly caterpillars, spiders, and other insects extracted from leaf and flower buds. They also supplement their diet with nectar from 'ōhi'a flowers when available.
Akekee are highly active foragers, primarily diurnal, spending much of their day gleaning insects from the canopy and mid-story of native trees. They exhibit a unique foraging strategy, using their specialized crossed bill to pry open unopened leaf and flower buds of 'ōhi'a and koa to extract hid...
The Akekee is strictly endemic to the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago. Historically, its range encompassed a wider area of Kauai's montane wet forests, but it has undergone significant contraction. Currently, its distribution is severely restricted to the highest elevations of the Ala...
Critically Endangered
- The Akekee is endemic to a single island: Kauai, Hawaii, making it one of the world's most geographically restricted bird species. - Its scientific name, 'caeruleirostris,' means 'blue-billed,' although its bill is more often dark gray, a reference to an earlier misidentification or description...