ʻAkepa

Hawaii Akepakleidervögel

The Hawaiian Akepakleidervogel ( Loxops coccineus ) is a very rare, possibly already extinct species of the genus dresses birds.

Appearance

The ten to twelve inches big bird has a short gray, cone-shaped beak. The plumage of the male is colored red on the belly and underside of the head. The back and legs are brown. The females have a dull gray-green plumage with a light yellow-orange tint in the chest area.

The life and habitat

It inhabits the mountain forests of the island of Hawaii. There he studied in old trees for insects and spiders, but also plant nectar he does not disdain.

Brood

The nest, in which the female lays up to three eggs, will be built in a cave in old decaying trees of the island vegetation. The breeding period of the species is 14-16 days, after which the boys spend another three weeks in the nest. Both parents feed the brood, especially with insects.

Threats and conservation measures

The species is threatened due to the destruction of their habitat, mosquito-borne diseases from imported wild boars, mongooses, wasps, ants, and competition from the Japanese White-eye ( Zosterops japonicus ). The total volume was estimated in 2000 to approximately 14,000 individuals. To protect the species, the invasive species are heavily hunted, made ​​replantings native species such as Acacia koa and putting up nest boxes. Two subspecies are extinct: L. coccineus wolstenholmei of O'ahu, last sighting in 1930 and L. coccineus ochraceus of Maui, last seen in 1988.

Swell

  • The great empire of the animals. Pp. 380-381, ISBN 3-8247-8614-1, German. Translation from English Publisher: Planet Media AG, train 1992
  • Encyclopedia of the animal world birds. Pp. 216-222, ISBN 3-572-01378- X, German. Translation, the English Title: Birds. Publisher: ORBIS, Hamburg 1992
  • Freed, L. A.; Cann, R. L.; Bodner, GM, 2008: incipient extinction of a major population of the Hawaii akepa to Owings Introduced species. Evolutionary Ecology Research 10: 931-965.
  • Lepson, J. K.; Freed, L. A. 1997: Akepa ( Loxops coccineus ). In: Poole, A.; Gill, F. ( ed.), The birds of North America, no. 294, pp. 1-24. The Academy of Natural Sciences and The American Ornithologists ' Union, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
Finch Johann Friedrich Gmelin
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