#vestiaria

[lamolinastreetart]

Art by Spanish Manolo Mesa (@manolo_mesa) for Flua Festival 2021 in Vestiaria, Portugal #manolomesa #fluafestival #vestiaria #streetart #lamolinastreetart 📷 via artist bit.ly/3chkxf3 (bij Vestiaria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWVlNp6MCu_/?utm_medium=tumblr

[libutron]

The ʻIʻiwi - Vestiaria coccinea

Vestiaria coccinea (Passeriformes - Fringillidae), is one of the most spectacular of Hawaiian honeycreepers, a group that represents an impressive example of evolutionary radiation.

Believed to have evolved from a single ancestor species, the honeycreepers spread throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago, and now show a remarkable variety of beak shapes, thought to be adaptations to different feeding habits [1].

Once occurring on all the main islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago, the iiwi is now extinct on Lana’i Island, and only tiny populations, of fewer than 50 birds, remain on O’ahu and Moloka’i. The species’ main strongholds are now Hawai’i, Maui and Kaua’i islands, where it is still relatively common. 

The exact causes for the decline are uncertain, although it is known that the species is very susceptible to avian malaria, carried at low elevations by introduced mosquitos. Other factors which are likely to be contributing to its decline include habitat degradation and predation by introduced mammals such as cattle, pigs, cats and rats [2].

Currently, the ʻIʻiwi is classified as a Vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. 

Photo credit: ©Byron Chin