Puaiohi

Description

The puaiohi or small Kauaʻi thrush (Myadestes palmeri) is a rare species of songbird in the thrush family,Turdidae,that is endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.It is closely related to the other four endemic Hawaiian thrushes,the kāmaʻo,olomaʻo,ʻōmaʻo,and ʻāmaui.It was first collected by Henry Palmer in 1891 at Halemanu around the entrance to the Kōkeʻe State Park.The plumage is mostly nondescript,with slaty-brown upperparts and a light gray breast and belly below.Birds have a black bill and pinkish feet.A white eye ring is also fairly prominent and helps distinguish this bird from the other Hawaiian thrushes.Males and females are highly similar in appearance.Juveniles show a pattern transitioning from a spotted whitish-buff above to a scalloped gray-brown below.