Akiapolaau
| Hemignathus wilsoni | Order: Passeriformes | Family: Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) |
Hemignathus wilsoni
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, and Allies)
This honeycreeper, endemic on the Big Island of Hawaii, has an extraordinary bill. The stouter, much shorter mandible is used to hack into trees like a woodpecker, while the longer upper mandible pries out exposed insects. It’s critically endangered thanks to habitat loss and avian malaria.