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S p e c i e s o f t h e M o n t h
E N D A N G E R E D
OAHU CREEPER , ALAUAHIO
Paroreomyza maculata
Identification:
Male O'ahu creepers (Paroreomyza maculata) are small birds, olive green above and golden yellow below. Females and immatures are gray above, yellowish white below with prominent white wing bars . O'ahu creepers have dark lores with a prominent pale superciliary stripe. The O'ahu creeper's bill is straight, in contrast to the decurved bill of the similar O'ahu 'amakihi.
Very similar in all plumages to the Oahu Amakihi
Call a loud chip or chick. Song unknown.
In Birds of Hawaii, George C. Munro wrote in 1944 , " It was fairly common in the 1890's. I tramped many miles of newly made C.C.C. trails on Oahu in 1935 and did not see a single individual but other observers report having seen it since, commonly, thus promising a prospect of survival."
From Birds in Jeopardy 1992, " Although the Oahu Creeper's habits are poorly understood, the species is known to hunt prey by creeping over tree bark.There are some reports of individuals foraging on Koa sap. The last sighting was in 1985 of a female and a juvenile,suggesting that , like other members of the genus Paroreomyza, the Oahu Creeper may travel in family groups."
From Enjoying Birds in Hawaii by H. Douglas Pratt 1993, "One of Hawaii's most elusive endangered species. Only a few sightings have been confirmed in the past two decades. Several of these were in the North Halawa Valley, now destroyed by freeway construction.Oahu creepers in the valley may have been wanderers from higher elevations, so a good place to look for them would be Aiea Ridge Trail."
This little-understood creeper is so rare that its survival is very much in doubt.
Aloha,
Michael Walther
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