Leiothrix vs Pāpala kēpau_1
THE SAGA OF AN ALIEN BIRD AND A NATIVE HAWAIIAN TREE
This is a Leiothrix or Peking robin (Leothrix lutea). The sticky mass coating the poor victim is encased in are non-avian friendly seed pods of Pāpala kēpau (Pisonia brunoniana), also known as the birdcatcher tree. www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/5250129824/in/photolist-...
Hawaiian Name:
The name pāpala also is used for the native species of Charpentiera.
Hawaiian Dictionaries defines kēpau as "lead, pitch, tar, resin, pewter; gum, as on ripe breadfruit; any sticky juice, as of pāpala."
Pāpala kēpau is a truly fascinating plant with a sad, but interesting, cultural history. A sinistral use for the sticky fruit was to trap native birds by early Hawaiians. The captured victims provided feathers for the strikingly colorful cloaks (capes), helmets, lei, images and kāhili. Birds such as ʻōʻō (Moho spp.) and mamo (Drepanis spp.) were seasonally plucked of their few moulting yellow feathers and set free to grow more for the next season. However, this was not the case with the ʻiʻiwi, ʻamakihi and ʻapapane which were totally covered with red- or green-colored feathers and would not have survived the plucking. They were captured, plucked and eaten.
Back to our Leothrix in the photo. Obviously, this tiny bird along with three others are in serious trouble!
Follow the saga & see how it turns out: www.flickr.com/photos/50823119@N08/4767078168/
Leiothrix vs Pāpala kēpau_1
THE SAGA OF AN ALIEN BIRD AND A NATIVE HAWAIIAN TREE
This is a Leiothrix or Peking robin (Leothrix lutea). The sticky mass coating the poor victim is encased in are non-avian friendly seed pods of Pāpala kēpau (Pisonia brunoniana), also known as the birdcatcher tree. www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/5250129824/in/photolist-...
Hawaiian Name:
The name pāpala also is used for the native species of Charpentiera.
Hawaiian Dictionaries defines kēpau as "lead, pitch, tar, resin, pewter; gum, as on ripe breadfruit; any sticky juice, as of pāpala."
Pāpala kēpau is a truly fascinating plant with a sad, but interesting, cultural history. A sinistral use for the sticky fruit was to trap native birds by early Hawaiians. The captured victims provided feathers for the strikingly colorful cloaks (capes), helmets, lei, images and kāhili. Birds such as ʻōʻō (Moho spp.) and mamo (Drepanis spp.) were seasonally plucked of their few moulting yellow feathers and set free to grow more for the next season. However, this was not the case with the ʻiʻiwi, ʻamakihi and ʻapapane which were totally covered with red- or green-colored feathers and would not have survived the plucking. They were captured, plucked and eaten.
Back to our Leothrix in the photo. Obviously, this tiny bird along with three others are in serious trouble!
Follow the saga & see how it turns out: www.flickr.com/photos/50823119@N08/4767078168/