elepaio

Or 'el·e·pai·o

[el-uh-pahy-oh]

noun

plural

elepaios 

1. a small brown-backed or gray-backed Hawaiian flycatcher, Chasiempis sandwichensis, having white wing bars, a white rump, and a blackish cocked tail.

Word History and Origins

Origin of elepaio¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from Hawaiian ʿelepaio

Example Sentences

They include iiwi and elepaio birds, a tree snail called pupu kani oe and the Hawaiian hoary bat, also known as opeapea.

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However, the elepaio, an endangered native bird, lives in the lowland forests, as does the amakihi, an endemic honeycreeper that is not classified as endangered, he noted.

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Mongooses and rodents have caused extinctions and severe declines of many Hawaiian native species, including the Oahu elepaio, Oahu tree snails and native palms, according to the agency.

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Songbirds are generally shy and retreat from humans, but the elepaio is curious and will often closely approach and even follow a single person through the forest.

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Canoe builders consider this bird a guardian spirit, and it is said that if the insect-eating elepaio shows interest in a koa tree, it is a sign that it is infested with insects and thus a poor choice for a canoe.

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