Photo Michael Walther

Appearance: The male and female `amakihi differ in color. The male is a brilliant yellow-green while the female is darker olive-green..

Voice: Variable but most often a loud mewing ""tseet"" note. Song is a long trill having a higher intensity in the middle.

Habits: Forages in a variety of ways. Most often it probes the blossoms of flowering trees in search of rich nectar but it also picks over bark in search of insect larvae. Usually the O'ahu Amakihi travels in small loose flocks. The O'ahu Amakihi is most abundant in native koa-ohia rain forest but it does frequent exotic forest at low altitudes.It is most common in native forests above 1,500 feet.

Population: The Oahu Amakihi is perhaps the most common surviving honeycreeper on Oahu.In the Koolau mountains it is more commonly observed then the Apapane.Oahu Amakihis have been reported as low as 400 feet elevation in the Manoa Valley well within the mosquito zone.The amakihi's on Oahu have apparently developed some resistance to avian malaria. Recently scientists conducted a study on the native honeycreepers on Oahu.. Not a single case of malarial infection was detected in the 43 native birds, primarily Oahu Amakihi (Hemignathus chlovis), that were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) .The survival of relict populations of native birds on O'ahu suggests that genetic resistance and/or tolerance factors to avian malaria are evolving. Another reason for the survival of this species is their ability to adapt to introduced plants as a source of nectar. I have seen them obtaining nectar from the flowers of lantana, banana and Octopus trees, Schefflera actinophylla .

Even though this species is still observed regularly in the mountains of Oahu it is in danger due to the many limiting factors present in their habitat; including land predators, avian diseases and competition from introduced bird species .Everything possible should be done to protect this and every other native bird species remaining in Oahu's forests.