Vestiaria coccinea
The ʻiʻiwi (pronounced, ee-EE-wee or, ee-EE-vee) or scarlet honeycreeper (Drepanis coccinea) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The ʻiʻiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaii. Linguists derive the Hawaiian language word ʻiʻiwi from Proto-Nuclear-Polynesian *kiwi, which in central Polynesia refers to the bristle-thighed curlew (Numenius tahitiensis), a migratory bird. The long decurved bill of the curlew somewhat resembles that of the ʻiʻiwi.
The ʻiʻiwi was historically placed in its own genus Vestiaria, but many recent authorities regard it as a member of the genus Drepanis, also including the now extinct elongate billed Hawaii mamo and black mamo. However, this has been questioned based on genetic evidence, with genomic studies finding the ʻiʻiwi to be more closely related to the recently extinct Laysan honeycreeper and still living ʻAkohekohe and ʻApapane than to the two mamo species.
The adult ʻiʻiwi is mostly scarlet, with black wings and tail and a long, curved, salmon-colored bill used primarily for drinking nectar. The contrast of the red and black plumage with surrounding green foliage makes the ʻiʻiwi one of Hawaiʻi...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haleakala National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report an Iiwi sighting in Haleakala National Park on a given day, based on 1,411 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 32 birds we can rate there.
April, June and December
In those months over 90% of wildlife watchers report an Iiwi in Haleakala National Park on a given day, against about 70% in August, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Iiwi sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Iiwi sightings, Haleakala National Park has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Fringillidae
The closest relatives of the Iiwi that you can see in Haleakala National Park (family Fringillidae, Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) are Hawaii 'Amakihi (about 90%), ʻApapane (about 90%) and House Finch (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iiwi is recorded against all the birds logged in Haleakala National Park (1,411 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
