Iiwi

The adult ʻiʻiwi is mostly scarlet, with black wings and tail and a long, curved, salmon-colored bill used primarily for drinking nectar. The contrast of the red and black plumage with surrounding green foliage makes the ʻiʻiwi one of Hawaiʻi's most easily seen native birds. Younger birds have golden plumage with more spots and ivory bills and were mistaken for a different species by early naturalists. Observations of young birds moulting into adult plumage resolved this confusion. Along with the Hawaiʻi Mamo, ʻiʻiwi were used in the feather trade. Voice: The ʻiʻiwi has a complex and varied song, which has been compared to the sound of whistles, balls dropping in water, the rubbing of balloons together, and the squeaking of a rusty hinge. Both sexes have been observed to mimic other bird calls.