Birdsong field guide
Oahu Nukupuu
Hemignathus lucidus
The Oahu Nukupuu was a specialized Hawaiian honeycreeper known for its distinctively asymmetrical 'heterobill' used for insect foraging. It is now considered extinct, with the last confirmed sightings occurring in the mid-19th century.
What it sounds like
A series of clear, liquid whistles and short, sharp trills similar to other Nukupuu species.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto
Field notes
- It possessed a unique bill structure where the upper mandible was nearly twice the length of the lower mandible.
- The bird used its shorter lower bill to hammer bark like a woodpecker and its long upper bill to extract larvae.
- Males were characterized by bright yellow plumage on the head and chest, while females were a more camouflaged olive-green.
- It was already becoming rare by the time it was first described by naturalists in the 1830s.
- Habitat loss and introduced diseases like avian malaria are the primary factors attributed to its rapid extinction.
Habitat
Dense montane forests dominated by native Koa and 'Ohi'a lehua trees.
Range
Endemic to the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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