What do you get when you mix the body of an ‘amakihi, the feathers of an ‘ōmaʻo, the walk of an ʻakikiki, and the appetite of an ‘akekeʻe? ʻAlawī, of course!
This endangered Hawaiʻi Island creeper’s native name was unknown until its recent rediscovery in Hawaiian language newspapers and soon after confirmed in 2017 by the Hawaiian Lexicon Committee.
ʻAlawī (Loxops mana) is endemic to Hawaiʻi Island and commonly seen in the upland koaʻōhiʻa forests of Kaʻū and the eastern-facing slopes of Mauna Kea, including Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge. If you are lucky, you might see them along the Puʻu ʻŌʻō Trail.
Look for a small, mossy olive-gray bird flittering around in the treetops alongside other honeycreepers like ʻapapane, ʻākepa, and ʻakiapōlāʻau. Although similar in appearance to juvenile and female ʻākepa and male Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi, ʻalawī have several distinct features: a lighter ivory colored throat patch, a shorter straight bill, and a wider “raccoon style” eye mask.