By Cherise Y.
THE CRESTED HONEYCREEPER AKOHEKOHE Palmeria dolei
Identification
The crested honeycreeper is mostly black. They have an orange ring circling the eye. They look entirely black in poor light and when they are wet. When they are young they are brownish black. You can hear them
say Wheeo,wheeo or Tjook, tjook, tjook. Another sound is Gluk, gluk, gluk.
Habitats
They are endemic to Hawaii and Maui. They were last seen in Molokai in 1907. There are about 3,800 crested honeycreepers on Maui. They usually live in rainforests that are at least 4,200 feet in elevation.
Foods The crested honeycreeper feeds on the flowers of Ohi'a lehua (Metrosideros Polymorpha). There are rare reports of it eating red lehua blossoms.
Threats
The crested honeycreepers’ population was decreased by three types of new predator rats coming to the islands. It was also decreased by mosquitoes bringing deadly diseases to the bird. The feral pig destroyed the flowers they ate which also decreased the numbers of the bird.
Conservation
The crested honeycreeper is protected by the law. It was also protected by the Fish and Wildlife Service because they made a State Forest Reserve system. Last, they are protected by the MauiMolokai Forest Plans. Conservationist are trying to teach people to understand why the crested honeycreeper is endangered.
What We Can Do
We can stop cutting the forests to save the Crested Honeycreeper. We can also plant more of the red lehua blossom and the Ohi'a lehua. Last, we can stop bringing new types of predators of the the crested
honeycreeper and other native birds.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Denny, Jim. A photographic guide to the Birds of hawaii. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii. Press, 2010. Print. ʻAkohekohe."Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Akohekohe>. " ‘Ākohekohe or Crested Honeycreeper." Forest Birds. Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 1 Oct. 2005. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. <http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/files/2013/09/Factsheetakohekohe.pdf>.