About the Kauai Elepaio
The Kauaʻi ʻelepaio is a monarch flycatcher found on the Hawaiian Island of Kauaʻi. It numbered 40,000 around 1970, but declined by half in the 1990s. Whether this fluctuation is natural and thus the birds' numbers will rebound or whether it signifies a novel threat remains to be seen. However, it seems the birds are making a recovery, as population density on the Alakai plateau has increased by 13% in recent years.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
This is the most distinct ʻelepaio; adult birds have their head and back gray, with a white supercilium, a rusty-red breast and a white underside. Young birds are uniformly rusty above and white below. Wings and tail are alike in all subspecies, but the young individuals of sclateri have the white stippling of the wings replaced by rusty coloration too.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in March · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Oahu ElepaioChasiempis ibidisThe Oʻahu ʻelepaio in appearance is very similar to the closely related Hawaiʻi ʻelepaio, but the white underside extends to the flanks and further up the breast, and the upper side – especially the head – is more rust-colored, with white wing bars, tail tips, and a black or blue chin on adults, that may have white on their chin.
Hawaii ElepaioChasiempis sandwichensisThe Hawaiʻi ʻelepaio, also Hawaiian ʻelepaio, is a monarch flycatcher found on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Learn the Kauai Elepaio for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.