i'iwi hula by Ken _Gilliland

DAZ|Studio • People • posted on Apr 27, 2012

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Description

Of all the endemic birds of Hawai'i, I think my favorite is the i'iwi. It is found on Hawaii, Maui, and Kaua'i in dense wet forests. The long curved bill of the 'I'iwi has evolutionally adapted to sip nectar from the long tubular flowers of the native Hawaiian lobelioids. They will pierce a hole in the base of the flower and extract the nectar with their brushy tipped tongues. They are important pollinators for many species of native plants. They forage high up in the mid to upper canopy of forests and will often defend a territory with a heavily flowering tree in it. As the lobelioids have declined through habitat loss and extinction, 'I'iwis have shifted to feeding more on other native flowers such as the 'ohia-lehua, koa, naio, and mamane. This dietary shift has been reflected in the slight reduction in average bill length seen over the past century. 'I'iwis can produce a wide variety of calls from rusty door hinge sound to clear flute-like sounds. 'I'iwis breed and winter mainly in wet or moderately wet forests with 'ohi'a and koa as the dominant trees. They can also be found in dry forest dominated by mamane, but do not often breed in such forest. Although the species does occur in drier areas on Hawai'i as low as 300 meters, it is most commonly found above 1,250 meters of elevation, where disease-carrying mosquitoes are not present. 'I'iwis spend most of their time foraging on 'ohi'a trees, feeding primarily on 'ohi'a nectar, but also catching butterflies, moths, and other insects. Mamane nectar is another major part of 'I'iwis' diets, and in some areas, the nectar of the introduced banana poka is also an important food source. The Hawaiian word I’iwi probably refers to the birds’ call but also means “eye twitching”. Rendered in DAZ Studio without postwork. Model Credits: Lani for A4/V4 (Stacy Lynn), Tropical Cove Bundle(Nerd3d), Hula, Songbird ReMix Hawaii (Ken Gilliland)