Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 4, 1 April 2023 — He Pāpale Nani o 'Ākohekohe [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He Pāpale Nani o 'Ākohekohe

V NA MANU HOA ^ OUR BIRD FRIENDS

By Lisa Kapono Mason

Possibly named after their guttural kohe-kohe-ehunk-ehunk courtship calls, akohekohe ( Palmeria dolei) are the largest extant honeycreeper on Maui. Also known as the crested honeycreeper, adult akohekohe have a prominent tuft of silvery feathers on their foreheads, an orange eye ring, and dappled hlaek, silver, and reddish-orange plumage. 'Ākohekohe are only found in wet, ohi'a-koa forests on the high northeastern slopes of Haleakalā. High-resolution aerial imagery is now being applied to map critical forest areas for the protection of akohekohe and other native forest birds. Adult akohekohe seem to occupy smaller ranges than juvenile birds, suggesting that juveniles may have difHculty finding their own territory and must travel farther across Haleakalā to escape competition. Unfortunately, younger birds moving down the mountain may face greater exposure to avian malaria in lower elevation forests. Mosquito control efforts, like Wolhaehia insect incompatibility technique (IIT), may be essential in helping to save this species. Learn more at www.birdsnotmosquitoes.org. ■

An adult 'akohekohe keeping wotch. - Photo: Jacob Drucker