Birdsong field guide
Oahu Akepa
Loxops wolstenholmei
A small, extinct Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to Oahu, characterized by the male's brick-red plumage and a specialized crossed bill.
What it sounds like
Reportedly a short, simple trill or a series of high-pitched, descending whistling notes.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto
Field notes
- The species is now considered extinct, with the last confirmed specimen collected in the late 19th century and no reliable sightings since 1900.
- Adult males possessed a distinct rusty or brick-red coloration, which was notably darker than the bright orange seen in the Hawaii Island Akepa.
- Its bill featured slightly crossed mandibles, a unique evolutionary adaptation used to pry open leaf buds and seed pods to find larvae.
- It was a canopy specialist, spending the vast majority of its life in the upper foliage of native Koa and 'Ohi'a trees.
- The primary causes of its extinction are believed to be habitat loss and the introduction of avian malaria via non-native mosquitoes.
Habitat
Montane mesic and wet forests, specifically old-growth stands of Koa and 'Ohi'a Lehua.
Range
Endemic to the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Similar & commonly confused birds
Heard a Oahu Akepa?
Open Birdsong, tap record, and identify the bird singing near you in seconds — then collect it in your field journal.
Identify a bird by its song