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.
Useful Feathers
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.
Fun Fact
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! The distinctive curved beak remains the same, however, as they use it in order to reach the nectar at the base of their favorite flowers, the Hawaiian lobelia.
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! The distinctive curved beak remains the same, however, as they use it in order to reach the nectar at the base of their favorite flowers, the Hawaiian lobelia.