Habitat
Oahu Amakihi occur only in two mountain ranges on the island of Oahu, where they range from mountain summits to nearly sea level—much lower than other native Hawaiian songbirds. They inhabit both native and non-native forests, but are most common in native forest, especially where koa is the dominant tree. In addition to very wet, high-elevation forest and scrubby, stunted forest, Oahu Amakihi also occurs in low-elevation suburban yards and parks.
Back to topFood
Oahu Amakihi feed on nectar, insects and other arthropods, and fruit. They forage frequently on native and non-native flowers, leaves, and twigs, and less often by creeping along trunks and branches. They sip nectar either by inserting their bill into flowers, or by piercing longer flowers at their base to sip the nectar as it leaks out. (This technique is known as "robbing" nectar since there is no pollen transferred with this method.)
Back to topNesting
Nest Placement
Placed in twigs or small branches in the outer foliage of ohia, koa, and other trees.
Nest Description
An open cup constructed of small twigs and grass. with an inner lining of fine plant fibers.
Nesting Facts
| Egg Description: | Likely similar to the eggs of Hawaii and Kauai Amakihi, which are whitish with irregular markings concentrated on the wide end. |
Behavior
These small, nimble songbirds move quickly among leaves and small branches in the understory and forest canopy. Their breeding behavior is likely similar to Hawaii Amakihi, in which pairs are monogamous and remain together in successive breeding seasons. The female Oahu Amakihi builds the nest and incubates the eggs. Both parents feed the young. Oahu Amakihi typically do not occur in tight flocks, but loose groups of up to 30 individuals sometimes gather in flowering trees.
Back to topConservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Oahu Amakihi's conservation status as Near Threatened and estimates the population size at 30,000–40,000 mature individuals. This assessment is based on Oahu Amakihi’s very restricted range on a single island with ongoing habitat degradation. Despite these threats, Oahu Amakihi is a foraging generalist, has adapted to use non-native habitats in addition to native forest, and has evolved some resistance to avian malaria. These factors offer some hope that Oahu Amakihi will avoid the tragic population declines and range contractions that have left so many Hawaiian honeycreepers endangered or extinct.
Back to topCredits
BirdLife International. 2023. Chlorodrepanis flava. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T22728299A223256080. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T22728299A223256080.en
Floyd, T. (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
Lindsey, G. D., E. A. VanderWerf, H. Baker, and P. E. Baker (2020). Oahu Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis flava), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.oahama.01
Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. and Berrett, D.G. (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Raine, H. and A. F. Raine (2020). American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Hawai'i. Scott & Nix, Inc. New York, NY, USA.
Stokes, L. Q. and M. A. Young (2024). The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada. Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY, USA.