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- Acrocephalus familiaris
Includes Nihoa Millerbird or Nihoa Reed-warbler
Identification
5 inches. Dark grey-brown, a buff-white belly, and a thin dark bill. Sexes are similar.
Distribution
Endemic to Nihoa, a small island near Hawaii. The subspecies found on Laysan is now extinct, however the Nihoa subspecies has been reintroduced there.
The population is very small, fluctuating between 300 and 700 birds. Threats to this species are the small population size, the very limited distribution, introduced animals and plants and fire.
Biologists consider the translocation of some birds to create another population on another island to reduce the risk of extinction.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies:
- Nihoa Millerbird: Acrocephalus familiaris kingi; Lives on Nihoa, a small island in the pacific, north-west of the Hawaii islands
- Laysan Millerbird: Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris (extinct around 1920).
Habitat
Behaviour
Shy, spending their time mostly near the ground in goosefoot and ilima, foraging for insects. Its favorite prey is the miller moth, hence the name for the species.
Their nests are constructed of grass stems and rootlets and concealed in small shrubs. 2 eggs are laid, anytime between January and May.
