`Alauahio / Maui Creeper (Paroreomyza montana) 4K

The `Alauahio is found only on the high slopes of Haleakalā. North American birders will be reminded of a warbler when observing this small endemic honeycreeper. Adult males are yellow-green above and bright yellow below. Females are duller. The bill is short and straight. Unlike the bold black lores of the Maui `Amakihi, there is only a faint black smudge between the bill and the eye of the Maui `Alauahio. The bill and legs of both sexes are light pink, darker in immature birds. Like itʻs creeper cousins on the Big Island and Kaua`i, the Maui Creeper often travels in flocks that can be located by listening for itʻs short, repeated "chip" call. It rarely takes nectar. Birds are usually seen actively foraging among leaves and branches for insects. A somewhat reliable place to see this species is in the māmane and pūkiawe scrub or in the tall introduced trees at Homer Grove.

Audio is courtesy of Xeno-Canto, catalog #s XC58973 recorded in the Maui Waikamoi Preserve by Frank Lambert.