The name ‘Iiwi’ sounds strange as it is pronounced ‘ee-ee-vee’. Its peculiar song consists of a couple of whistles, the sound of balls dropping in water, the rubbing of balloons together and the squeaking of a rusty hinge.
The bird is also known as scarlet honeycreeper due to its colour. A Hawaiian finch, the liwi is probably the most recognizable symbol of Hawaii.
The adult bird is mostly scar-let in colour with black wings and tail. It has a long, curved, salmon coloured bill. It uses the bill primarily to drink nectar. The bird can hover, much like a hummingbird.
Many species in the family have gone extinct. The liwi too is classified as threatened by the United States Department of the Interior in 2017. There is a high demand in the market for the feathers of the bird. The liwi’s feathers were highly prized by Hawaiian nobility.
Picture Credit : Google