Day 28 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: ʻUla-ʻai-hāwane (Ciridops anna)
ʻUla-ʻai-hāwane was a member of the Hawaiian honeycreepers but sadly disappeared in 1892. The name ʻula-ʻai-hāwane means "red bird that eats hāwane" (the fruit of the loulu palm) in Hawaiian. Its diet primarily consisted of the flowers, seeds, unripe fruits, and insects associated with several species of loulu palms (Pritchardia).
The relationship between the honeycreeper and these palms was a delicate one. The Hawaiian pritchardia (Pritchardia affinis) is now critically endangered, largely due to introduced pigs and rats that destroy young plants. The number of surviving palms was not sufficient to support the ʻula-ʻai-hāwane, which depended on them.
