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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol. 124. No. 4. December 2012 
FIG. 7. Crown of the palm Pritchardia nuirtii, endemic 
to Oahu, Hawaiian Islands showing the density of the bases 
ol the petioles and inflorescences, and the amount and 
potential for accumulation of debris in the leaf axils. This is 
hypothesized to have been the specialized feeding niche of 
the species of Ciridops , which may have used its 
hypertrophied feel and pelvic musculature to move debris 
in search of insect prey. Photograph by Christine D. Bacon. 
access lo nesting materials. Furthermore, some 
species, like P. viscosa , have short, stiff 
inflorescences that likely drop mature fruits 
into their own crown. The stem apex where 
things collect is protected by the crown and the 
surrounding leaves, and would maintain mois¬ 
ture and shade, and potentially provide a food 
source for insects and other invertebrates that 
would also be in the crown.” 
Scott et al (1986) suggested that the affinity of 
Ciridops for palm trees recalled the Point-tailed 
Palmcreeper (Berlepsehia rikeri, Furnariidae) of 
South America, which is closely associated with 
stands of palms of the genus Mauritia. I examined 
several skeletons (USNM) of Berlepsehia and 
found that it has none ol the hindlimb adaptations 
of Ciridops and probably obtains its food by 
probing with its long, slender bill. 
BEHAVIOR OF CIRIDOPS ANNA 
General Demeanor.— Little was recorded con¬ 
cerning behavior of Ciridops anna in the field 
Emerson (1894: 103) in his treatise of ancient 
Hawaiian bird hunters, who sought plumes for 
feathered garments and symbols, remarked that 
there "was, I am told, another red-feathered bird 
called ula-ai-hawaiw, a beautiful thine in scarlet 
wild and shy, a great fighter, a bird rarely taken by 
the hunter. Its plumage would have been a 
welcome addition to the resources of Hawaiian 
feather-workers had it been obtainable.” I assume 
Emerson's information came from native hunters. 
Perkins (1903: 405) had no personal experience 
with Ciridops , but he heartily endorsed Emerson's 
characterization, stating that the “reputed pug¬ 
nacity of this bird is quite in accord with what one 
might expect, and is characteristic of the section 
of the family to which it belongs, which seems 
generally to consist of stronger birds, well able to 
drive from their food those of similar habits in the 
other section |his Division 2], If, as there is reason 
to suppose, the Ula-ai-hawane obtained its chief 
food supply from these palms, which arc them¬ 
selves by no means abundant and are known to 
have been visited by other Drepanididae species, 
this pugnacity may well have been developed to 
an unusual degree.” This is highly speculative, 
but aspects of the plumage and distribution of 
Ciridops can be interpreted in the context of a 
territorial bird dependent upon a patchy food 
source. 
Vocalizations .—The only hint of any vocaliza¬ 
tion of Ciridops anna comes from Munro (1892: 
20 Feb) in which he describes a “sweet low 
tweet” that turned out to be made by Akepa 
(Loxops coccineus) but that natives had confused 
with Ciridops. Munro (1944) later seemed to write 
the whole incident off as bungling, but his journal 
is more ambiguous. He had heard many Akepa in 
the Kona District prior to his venture to the 
Kohalas and yet he let himself be misled at the 
time. Perhaps there was a note of Ciridops that 
resembled a note of the Akepa. 
Previous Speculation on Possible Food Habits .— 
Wilson was told “that it feeds on the fruit of the 
Hawane palm” (Wilson and Evans 1893: 23). “It 
seems to have been found only in the neighbourhood 
ol the Lou I u palms ( Pritchardia ), the blossoms of 
which as well as the unripe fruit supplied it with 
food (Perkins 1903: 405). The supposedly short, 
thick bill of Ciridops “lends credence to the 
statement that it had departed from the nectar- 
Iceding habits ol its relatives and subsisted on fruit” 
(Amadon 1950: 205). If Ciridops were frugivorous 
“fruits of the palm Pritchardia are claimed to be its 
l°°d source; if so, one of the smaller-fruited species 
of Pritchardia is to be suspected” (Carlquist 1974: 
162). “The short, straight beak of Ciridops. now 
extinct, is believed to have been adapted for a diet of 
palm fruits” (Carlquist 1982: 9). Fruit of some or all 
Pritchardia is Uk> large “to have been swallowed 
whole” by Ciridops (Pratt 2002a: 5), which has 
