DESCRIPTION: 4½″. Very similar to the female or immature amakihi, but
the bill is straighter and tends to be lighter in color. Creepers search
for insects on the trunks and heavier branches, while amakihis usually
work more in the foliage.
PARK DISTRIBUTION: Kilauea—Now very rare in the upper rain forest or koa
parkland on Mauna Loa. Haleakala—Has not been definitely recorded within
the park for many years.
Twenty years ago creepers were often seen in the Mauna Loa Strip area of
the Kilauea Section, but from 1958-1960 the author saw only one. On the
other hand, introduced white-eyes have greatly increased their numbers
in recent years, and now they are by far the commonest bird along the
Mauna Loa Strip. White-eyes feed in much the same manner as
creepers—they carefully glean tiny insects from limbs of ohia, mamani,
and other trees. It seems likely that direct competition for insects by
the white-eyes is an important factor in the recent decline of Hawaiian
creepers.