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Kauai Amakihi

Endemic to Kaua’i...largest of
the Amakihi honeycreepers.

Chlorodrepanis stejnegeri

(L 4.5")

Alakai Wilderness

Kaua’i

19Feb2014

IUCN Watch
List Status is
Vulnerable

Threatened by habitat
loss, invasive species
and avian malaria.

Before my Ancestors

If you are a sweet ‘apapane,

I am the divine lehua that nourishes you.

If you are the delicate ‘alae ke’oke’o,

I am the gentle pond that you enchant with your call.

If you are a lonely nene,

I am the ‘one ohelo berry bush you feed upon.

If you are a brown lysan duck,

I am the air that lets you fly freely to your mate.

If you are a cold ‘a’o,

I am the sun that warms your keiki.

If you are a light brown koloa,

I am the pond that you swim in with your brood.

If you are white ‘io,

I am the brown feathers that take you to maturity.

Now this is a poem of Hawaiian birds

that were here before my ancestors were born.

(Pi’ikea Lopes, age 12; Honolulu, Hawaii)

Chlorodrepanis is Greek for
green sicklewing.

Macaulay
Library