Orange Birds in Hawaii

Hawaii’s orange birds include some of the rarest and most unique species in the world. The native honeycreepers - Iiwi, Apapane, and the critically endangered Akohekohe - are found nowhere else on Earth. Several introduced species with orange plumage, like the Red-crested Cardinal, are also common across the islands.

Native Orange Birds

Species	Orange/red feature	Status	Where to see
Iiwi	Brilliant scarlet-orange plumage, curved salmon bill	Vulnerable	Maui, Big Island, Kauai (high-elevation forests)
Apapane	Scarlet-crimson plumage	Common (native)	All major islands (ohia forests)
Akohekohe	Black with orange-white crest, orange bill	Critically Endangered	East Maui only (Haleakala)
Palila	Yellow-orange head and breast	Critically Endangered	Big Island only (mamane forests on Mauna Kea)

Native Elepaio Species

Species	Feature	Island	Status
Oahu Elepaio	Chestnut-brown with white belly	Oahu	Endangered
Kauai Elepaio	Chestnut-brown with white eyebrow	Kauai	Vulnerable
Hawaii Elepaio	Chestnut-brown with white underparts	Big Island	Vulnerable

The three Elepaio species are monarch flycatchers endemic to individual islands. They have warm brown-orange tones and are culturally important in Hawaiian traditions.

Introduced Orange Birds

Species	Orange feature	Origin	Where to see
Red-crested Cardinal	Red-orange head and crest	South America	All major islands, common in parks
Saffron Finch	Yellow-orange plumage	South America	Oahu, Big Island
Northern Cardinal	Bright red (male)	North America	All major islands
House Finch	Orange-red head and breast (male)	North America	All major islands

Best Birding Spots

Location	Best species
Haleakala National Park, Maui	Iiwi, Akohekohe (high elevation only)
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park	Apapane, Iiwi, Hawaii Elepaio
Kilauea Point NWR, Kauai	Seabirds, Kauai Elepaio
Waimea Valley, Oahu	Oahu Elepaio, introduced species
Hakalau Forest NWR, Big Island	Iiwi, Apapane, native forest birds

Conservation Concerns

Threat	Impact
Avian malaria	Spread by introduced mosquitoes, devastating to native honeycreepers
Habitat loss	Native ohia and mamane forests shrinking
Introduced predators	Rats, cats, and mongoose prey on native birds
Climate change	Mosquitoes moving to higher elevations, reducing safe habitat

Hawaii’s native honeycreepers are among the most endangered birds on Earth. The Iiwi and Apapane are still relatively common at high elevations, but the Akohekohe and Palila are critically endangered with populations in the low thousands. Visiting high-elevation native forests is the only way to see these extraordinary birds.