The ʻAkekeʻe is a bird species in the family Fringillidae, where it is placed in the Hawaiian honeycreeper genus Loxops. It is endemic to the island of Kauaʻi where it is found in small numbers in higher elevations. Because of the unusual bill and similar size and shape, the ʻAkekeʻe and the ʻĀkepa (Loxops coccineus) were for some time classified as a single species. This was eventually changed, because of the ʻAkekeʻe's color, nesting behavior a...
More
The ʻAkekeʻe is a bird species in the family Fringillidae, where it is placed in the Hawaiian honeycreeper genus Loxops. It is endemic to the island of Kauaʻi where it is found in small numbers in higher elevations. Because of the unusual bill and similar size and shape, the ʻAkekeʻe and the ʻĀkepa (Loxops coccineus) were for some time classified as a single species. This was eventually changed, because of the ʻAkekeʻe's color, nesting behavior and calls.
The ʻAkekeʻe is a greenish-yellow bird with a black mask around the eye (especially prominent in the male) and a bluish bill, unlike the ʻĀkepa, which is usually red, canary-yellow or orange, without black, and have horn-colored bills. Their bill-tips are crossed over, though not bent as in distantly-related Fringillidae the crossbills (Loxia). The ʻAkekeʻe's call is softer than its relatives.
The ʻAkekeʻe uses its bill like scissors to cut open buds in search of insects to eat. It also takes the nectar to certain trees as part of...
Less
