Rising Tide Images
Rousing 'Amakihi
This green and yellow male honeycreeper is difficult to spot as it blends in with the coloration of the ‘ōhi’a tree. One of the few remaining species of endemic honeycreepers on the island of Oahu, the ‘amakihi still thrives in higher elevation rainforests. Recent census indicates the population is stable or increasing due to resistance to mosquito transmitted avian malaria, adaptability to feed on nonindigenous food sources, and the capacity to become habituated to human presence. The decurved bill shape of the ‘amakihi is conducive to nectar feeding on the ‘ōhi’a lehua blossoms and for scraping bark and lichen to find insects as a protein source. The O’ahu ‘amakihi is an endemic bird resulting from insular evolution on the island of Oahu. Similarly, the flowering tree ‘ōhi’a is endemic to the main Hawaiian Islands. The ‘ōhi’a tree thrives in multiple island ecosystems, from an early settler on bare lava fields to mature, misty rain forests. The multi-stamen lehua flower is the subject of island lore.
In the state of Hawaii, 2024 is Ka Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele: The Year of the Forest Birds.
Rousing 'Amakihi
This green and yellow male honeycreeper is difficult to spot as it blends in with the coloration of the ‘ōhi’a tree. One of the few remaining species of endemic honeycreepers on the island of Oahu, the ‘amakihi still thrives in higher elevation rainforests. Recent census indicates the population is stable or increasing due to resistance to mosquito transmitted avian malaria, adaptability to feed on nonindigenous food sources, and the capacity to become habituated to human presence. The decurved bill shape of the ‘amakihi is conducive to nectar feeding on the ‘ōhi’a lehua blossoms and for scraping bark and lichen to find insects as a protein source. The O’ahu ‘amakihi is an endemic bird resulting from insular evolution on the island of Oahu. Similarly, the flowering tree ‘ōhi’a is endemic to the main Hawaiian Islands. The ‘ōhi’a tree thrives in multiple island ecosystems, from an early settler on bare lava fields to mature, misty rain forests. The multi-stamen lehua flower is the subject of island lore.
In the state of Hawaii, 2024 is Ka Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele: The Year of the Forest Birds.