Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 9, 1 September 2023 — He Kāpili Manu o Ka Uka [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He Kāpili Manu o Ka Uka

__/ NA MANU HOA V ^ OUR BIRD FR I EN DS "

By Lisa Kapono Mason

With its curvy salmon bill, scarlet plumage, and upside-down acrobatics, the 'i'iwi ( Drepanis eoeeinea), or scarlet honeycreeper, is a stunning ieon of Hawai'i's thriving forests. In ancient society, the color red imbued strong mana (spiritual power) to ali'i who wore it, and thus many battle garments and royal implements used 'i'iwi feathers and skins. Kia manu, or birdcatchers, primarily used a form of kēpau or pīlali (birdlime) on a pole to catch forest birds for feathers and food. Like the honeycreepers, Hawaiian bellflowers (Lobellioids) are a great example of adaptive radiation in Hawaiian plants. The coevolution of 'i'iwi and some native lobelioids resulted in unique pollinator-plant relationships reflected in their similarly curved-shaped bill and flower structure. Today, 'i'iwis beaks are slightly less curved, possibly because many species of lobelioids have declined or gone extinct, or with 'i'iwi feeding mostly on non-tubular flowers like 'ōhi'a lehua and opportunistically nectar robbing ffom introduced species like hanana poka. ■

Lisa Kapono Mason was raised in Hilo and happily resides in Kea'au on the island of Hawai'i. She is a community educator, conservation researcher, and native bird enthusiast with a passion to help strengthen relationships between our manu and lāhui.

'l'iwi hopping along o elump of mō'ohi'ohi (Stenogyne colominthoides) ond 'ōkolo (Rubus hawoiensis). - Photo: Ann īanimoto Johnson

'Ōhō wai (Clermontio peleona) is o criticolly endongered Hawaiian lobellioid. The closed dark-purple petals resemble an 'i'iwi bill. - Photo: Lisa L.K. Mason