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'I'iwi Song

A dazzling ‘i’iwi takes a break from nectar feeding to burst into song (well, squeaks and whistles). Perhaps this scarlet honeycreeper is proclaiming 2024 as Ka Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele, The Year of the Forest Birds.

 

Due to former hunting for its feathers to fabricate adornments for royalty its population dwindled. Now, its susceptibility to mosquito transmitted avian malaria has restricted the remaining population to high altitude forests.

 

Surely the most beautiful and iconic of Hawaii’s honeycreepers.

 

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Uploaded on February 17, 2024
Taken on February 13, 2024