#oreomystis bairdi

[jadafitch]

Day 15 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: ʻAkikiki or the Kauaʻi Creeper (Oreomystis bairdi)

The ʻAkikiki is a tiny Hawaiian honeycreeper, that sadly is thought to be extinct in the wild as of 2024. Today, around 40 ʻakikiki are part of a captive breeding program managed by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and operating out of the Maui Bird Conservation Center and Keauhou Bird Conservation Center. Once a more viable population is established, reintroduction could be possible.

*Plant featured is the rare and endangered native Hawaiian epiphytic fern species, the Pendant Kihi Fern (Adenophorus periens)

[birdstudies]

April 6, 2015 - 'Akikiki or Kauaʻi Creeper (Oreomystis bairdi)

Requested by: pechorinas

These honeycreepers are found only in Hawaii on the island of Kaua’i. Their range has decreased significantly in recent decades. They spend much of their time in pairs or small family groups, foraging for invertebrates on tree trunks. Building nests from moss, lichen, bark, and plant fibers, they raise a brood of chicks once a year which stay with their parents for as long as 18 months. These birds are Critically Endangered due to habitat loss, introduced plants and animals, and diseases.