Birdsong field guide
Maui Nukupuu
Hemignathus affinis
A critically endangered, likely extinct Hawaiian honeycreeper distinguished by its extraordinary bill, where the upper mandible is nearly twice the length of the lower.
What it sounds like
A short, warbling song of 4–6 notes and a sharp 'keet' or 'cheet' call note.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto
Field notes
- Possesses a specialized 'heterobill' used to probe bark and extract wood-boring insects.
- Males exhibit vibrant golden-yellow plumage on the head and breast, while females are primarily olive-green.
- The species was last confirmed with certainty in 1996 within the Hanawi Natural Area Reserve.
- It fills an ecological niche similar to a woodpecker, using its shorter lower mandible to hammer wood.
- The decline is attributed primarily to habitat loss and mosquito-borne diseases like avian malaria and fowlpox.
Habitat
High-elevation montane wet and mesic forests, particularly those dominated by ʻōhiʻa lehua and koa trees.
Range
Endemic to the island of Maui, Hawaii.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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