AIR NEWS NOW

The Insight From

A Native
Woodpecker
 W H O A M I ?

I am an Akiapola'au; we

come from the Hawaiian

honeycreeper family. There

are only about 800 of us on

the Big island. Sadly we

reproduce slowly, so we

can’t expand our species

quick enough. Most of us

live and rely on the Koa

forests. I eat insects that

live under the bark of Koa

trees. My species and I have

one of the most unusual

bills. Our bill allows us to

utilize the same niche

occupied by woodpeckers in

other parts of the world. My

bill also allows me to forage

along tree limbs in search of

insects. My species and I’s

most specialized adaptation

is the bill.
As you know we are a very rare species with many

threats; habitat loss, predation by mammals such

as cats, and non-native avian diseases spread by

mosquitoes. Global climate changes allow

mosquitoes to move to even higher elevations,

which further decrease the suitable habitats for

us. We are often seen in dry habitats but also

reside in moist forests.

I am a part of the numerous endemic forest birds

on the island. I am also usually the easiest of the

endangered birds to see with my yellow olive-

green feathers and my woodpecker beak.

Unfortunately my feathers turn out to be less of a

successful adaptation as the seeds are tiny and I

need to eat all day to survive. Not only am I a rare

species, but my species is fading fast on the Big

Island.
 A N C E S T R Y

My ancestors flew from East Asia to the

Hawaiian Islands around 8 million years ago.

They had to adapt with their environment, which

is why I have a very special beak which lets me

probe for insects and larvae. I think my ancestors

left Asia possibly due to a storm or lack of

resources; which is the bottleneck effect.

Pilina means the connection or

relationship with something. My

ancestors are not only honeycreepers,

but woodpeckers too. Woodpeckers

migrate from the mainland to deserted

Hawaii, which is in the middle of

nowhere so the birds had to adapt and

evolve. This is the founder effect. Many

birds in Hawaii aren’t native, but brought

to the islands in the 19th century. I, a

Akiapola’au, have evolved to fill in the

place of woodpeckers in Hawaii. They

call me ‘The Hawaiian Woodpecker’.

This is who I am and where I came from. I have adapted and

evolved to be my own species of honeycreepers. I have a very

unique beak which makes me the native woodpecker as there

aren’t any other native woodpeckers here. My species is

decreasing fast and we don’t have the power to reproduce fast

enough.
 R E F E R E N C E P A G E

Akiapola'au Bird Adaptation (2021)

http://mail.previnne.com.br/sensitive-subject-

dei/3ed440-akiapola%27au-bird-adaptation

Wild Bird Scoop

https://www.wildbirdscoop.com/hawaii-

woodpeckers.html