Birdsong field guide
Maui Parrotbill
Pseudonestor xanthophrys
The Maui Parrotbill, or Kiwikiu, is a critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper distinguished by its massive, hooked bill used for specialized insectivory. It is one of the rarest endemic birds in Hawaii, restricted to high-elevation rainforests.
What it sounds like
A loud, clear whistle consisting of a descending series of 'tew' notes, and a short, sharp 'vick' contact call.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- The bird uses its massive upper mandible to pry apart wood and its shorter lower mandible as a chisel to extract beetle larvae.
- Unlike many other honeycreepers, the Kiwikiu lacks the characteristic 'musky' scent typically associated with the Drepanidini tribe.
- They have an exceptionally slow reproductive rate, typically laying only one egg per year and providing long-term parental care.
- The species was historically found on both Maui and Molokaʻi, but fossil evidence suggests they once inhabited dry lowland forests as well.
- Kiwikiu are highly susceptible to avian malaria; their entire remaining population survives only above the mosquito line at high altitudes.
Habitat
Intact high-elevation montane rainforests dominated by ʻōhiʻa lehua and koa trees with a dense native understory.
Range
The windward upper slopes of Haleakalā volcano on the island of Maui, Hawaii.
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