Akekei Loxops caeruleirostris

A small, very rare Hawaiian honeycreeper of remote native forests on Kauai. Declining rapidly; found only above 4,000 feet elevation in the eastern ‘Alaka’i Plateau. Males are yellow with a small black mask and females are greenish. The crossed bill that is uses to pry open leaf buds in search of insects and larvae is difficult to see. The longer tail with a notched tip distinguishes it from other small honeycreepers. Its rarely-heard song is a wavering trill that changes in speed and pitch. Call is a soft upslurred “suweet.”