Scientific Name:  Oreomystis bairdi

Found: Endemic to Kaua‘i

Population Estimate as of 2024: <5 individuals 

Functionally extinct in the wild

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

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About: The 'akikiki is a poignant example of how avian malaria continues to threaten Hawaiian honeycreepers with extinction. Once found in forests at sea level the range of this species has shrank with loss of habitat and the introduction of mosquito borne disease. In 2018 a population of just 454 birds was reported, and the numbers have continued to rapidly decline until, with a population of less than 10 birds, the 'akikiki was declared 'functionally extinct in the wild' in 2024. 

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This small, energetic gray honeycreeper is an insect specialist. It creeps along ‘ōhi’a and ‘ōlapa plants in the Alaka’i area, pulling away bark, moss, and vegetation to get at the arthropods beneath. 

PC:  Graham Talaber