Loxops wolstenholmei
The Oahu Akepa (*Loxops wolstenholmei*) was a small, vibrant Hawaiian honeycreeper, tragically declared extinct in the 20th century. Males were striking with their bright orange-red plumage, contrasting with black primaries and tail, while females displayed a more subdued yellow-green body, greyish head, and yellowish rump. Growing to about 10-11 cm (4-4.3 inches) in length, its most distinctive feature was a short, pointed bill with a slightly decurved upper mandible and slightly upturned lo...
This highly specialized honeycreeper exclusively inhabited the dense, wet montane forests of Oahu, particularly favoring *Acacia koa* and *Metrosideros polymorpha* trees at elevations generally above 600 meters (2,000 feet).
Its diet consisted almost exclusively of arthropods, such as insects and spiders, which it skillfully extracted from the unfurling leaf and flower buds of native trees using its uniquely adapted bill. It may have also occasionally consumed nectar or small fruits.
The Oahu Akepa was a diurnal species, observed singly or in small family groups actively foraging through the forest canopy. Its most remarkable behavior was its unique foraging strategy: using its specialized bill, it would deftly pry open tightly closed leaf and flower buds, primarily of *Acaci...
The Oahu Akepa was strictly endemic to the island of Oahu within the Hawaiian archipelago. Its entire distribution was confined to the high-elevation, dense, wet montane forests, primarily found on the slopes of the Koʻolau and Waiʻanae mountain ranges. Historical records indicate its presence ab...
Extinct
- The Oahu Akepa was last definitively sighted in 1901 and last collected in 1907, with its extinction likely occurring by the 1930s-1940s, making it one of Hawaii's earliest documented avian extinctions. - Its scientific name, *Loxops wolstenholmei*, honors the collector H. Wolstenholme, who obt...