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Kiwikiu
Scientific Name: Pseudonestor xanthophrys
Found: Endemic to Maui
Population Estimate as of 2024: <200
IUCN Status: Critically endangered
About: The kiwikiu, or Maui parrotbill, is a robust olive-green and yellow honeycreeper now found only in in high elevation wet ʻōhiʻa forests in northeastern Maui. They use their thick, curved beaks to forage for insect larvae by splitting open the branches and berries of native plants. Where once they were quite common on Maui and Moloka'i, avian malaria has caused their populations to plummet and now less than 200 individuals remain.
PC: Bret N. Mossman
The kiwikiu's song is a series of paired notes: chewy-chewy-chewy which almost sounds like it's saying its Hawaiian name.
Kiwikiu are socially monogamous and can live for as long as 16 years. Pairs hatch one chick every year or two.