Bird of the Day:
The Hawaiian I'iwi
Have you seen this bird before? If you have, you're pretty lucky!
Like many of Hawaii's endemic species, the i'iwi, or scarlet honeycreeper, has been considered "threatened" under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2008. It is considered a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaii.
The i'iwi is one of several species whose feathers were used by ancient Hawaiians to create beautiful red, black, and yellow capes called ahu'ula. Red feathers would be taken from the i'iwi and 'apapane birds,
and black and yellow from four species of o'o and mamo, all of which are extinct today. Ahu'ula were worn exclusively by ali'i, or chiefs.
Here's some fun facts about the i'iwi:
- Their beaks are curved in order to extract nectar more easily from their main food source, the Hawaiian lobelia (bellflower). However, today i'iwi drink primarily from 'ohia lehua blossoms due to the decline of their primary food source since 1902.
- To harvest feathers, birds would be trapped in sticky sap by experts who knew their populations, nesting styles and locations; only a few feathers at a time would be taken in order to not hurt them.
- Young i'iwi have speckled yellow plumage and ivory-colored beaks. The difference is so drastic that, until they witnessed adolescents mid-molt, naturalists thought they were a different species entirely.