The `elepaio is the only member of the very large (over 300 species) Old World flycatcher family to successfully colonize the Hawaiian Islands naturally.

Distribution: A different subspecies is found on Kaua`i and O`ahu, and three distinct subspecies are found on Hawai`i. There is no evidence that it ever existed on Maui, Moloka`i, or Lana`i. `Elepaio inhabit a wide range of native forests such as `ohi`a-lehua, koa, mamane, and naio, and are one of the few Hawaiian bird species that are known to occasionally inhabit forests dominated by introduced vegetation such as guava.

Description: 5 inches. Upper parts are brown; under parts are whitish, with a white rump and white bars on dark wings. The tail is long, brownish-black, and often cocked upright. Juveniles are more evenly brown, and lack the white rump. Considerable variation in color exists between islands, and among the three Hawai`i Island subspecies.

Voice: A loud whistle that sounds like "el-e-pai-o." Both sexes sing, and the singing is especially pronounced during courtship and nest-building stages. `Elepaio also give a distinct alarm call that signals the presence of the Io (Hawaiian hawk) which are known predators of elepaio and other forest bird species. Researchers have found that both elepaio and other species respond to the alarms.

Nesting: Breeding season extends from January to June. The small cup-shaped nests are woven from a wide variety of vegetation, including grasses, rootlets, and lichens, and may be held tog ether by spider webs. Clutch size is usually two eggs, and a long incubation period of 18 days.

Diet: Their food consists nearly exclusively of insects and spiders. Elepaio are very versatile foragers, utilizing the full range of the forest to obtain their prey.

Conservation Note: `Elepaio are fairly common on Hawaii and Kaua`i but are rare on O`ahu where they are now listed as endangered. Loss of habitat, introduced diseases, and introduced predators such as rats are the primary threats to `elepaio on O`ahu.

`Elepaio are inquisitive, and can easily be coaxed to an observer. They are the guardian spirit of canoe makers who recognized that the frequent use of a particular koa tree by an elepaio was an indication the tree was likely to harbor a large insect population, and may therefore be undesirable for use as a canoe.