ʻApapane

The ʻapapane (Himatione sanguinea) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, that is endemic to Hawaii. The bright crimson feathers of the ʻapapane were once used to adorn the ʻahuʻula (capes), mahiole (helmets), and nā lei hulu (feather leis) of aliʻi (Hawaiian nobility). ʻApapane form small flocks when foraging through the canopies of ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees, drinking nectar from the flowers and simultaneously pollinating them. They never forage on the forest floor. When flowering of ʻōhiʻa is low and if not part of a flock, ʻapapane will be chased away from flowers by more aggressive competing birds such as the ʻakohekohe and ʻiʻiwi.