What does Elepaio eat?
Their food consists nearly exclusively of insects and spiders. `Elepaio are very versatile foragers, utilizing the full range of the forest to obtain their prey.
What does Elepaio mean in Hawaiian?
: a flycatcher (Chasiempis sandwichensis) found on several of the Hawaiian islands.
What does the Elepaio look like?
The ‘Elepaio is a small, gray-brown flycatcher weighing 12-18 g. On Kaua’i, adult males and females appear similar, with a dark grayish brown back and head, white underparts and orange-brown breast. Young birds have a different appearance from adults, with rufous feathers on the head, back and breast.
How many subspecies of Elepaio exist on Hawaii Island?
five subspecies
The elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis) is a monarch flycatcher endemic to the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai, Oahu, and Hawaii. Elepaio vary in morphology among and within islands, and five subspecies are currently recognized.
Why is the ʻelepaio a curious little bird?
The ʻelepaio is a bold and curious little bird, and thus it was attracted to humans whom it found working in its habitat, and it quickly learned to exploit feeding opportunities created by human activity, altering its behavior accordingly – which incidentally made it even more conspicuous.
How big does a ʻelepaio monarch flycatcher get?
The ʻelepaios are three species of monarch flycatcher in the genus Chasiempis. They are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and were formerly considered conspecific. They measure 14 cm long and weigh 12–18 g. One species inhabits the Big Island, another Oʻahu and the third Kauaʻi.
Why was the Hawaiian canoe marked out by the ʻelepaio?
This is the origin of the ancient Hawaiian proverb, ʻUā ʻelepaio ʻia ka waʻa (“The canoe is marked out by the ʻelepaio”). Due to its insectivorous habit, farmers believed the ʻelepaio to be the incarnation of Lea’s sister goddess, Hina-puku-ʻai, who protected food plants and was a patron of agriculture.