Image:Pseudonestor xanthophrys.jpg

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Pseudonestor xanthophrys (Maui Parrotbill), female. Males have more intense yellow coloration, especially on the head. In the picture, the oversized head and massive beak of this finch-sized bird are visible to advantage. As there are no woodpeckers on Hawai'i, the Maui Parrotbill has evolved to fill their ecological niche. It uses the hooked bill to probe old wood and boreholes of insects for finding food.

These birds are highly threatened with extinction in the wild, and are subject to an intense recovery effort which involves captive breeding at the Big Island KBCC and the Maui MBCC facilities. A strange problem encountered is that captive-bred birds of this species, especially females, imprint quickly to humans, losing their shyness, begging for food and even landing on hands or heads. This would be a huge disadvantage, were such individuals released into the wild.

Photo taken by Eike Wulfmeyer, Keauhou Bird Conservation Center (KBCC), Volcano HI, circa 03-SEP-2002.

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