Native Hawaiian amakihi feeding on octopus tree, Kuliouou Valley Oahu

[colin Peters]

Showing how some native hawaiian birds are adapting to invasive species. I at one time thought

these trees were the worst, now not so much. The Ohia lehua is disappearing from Oahu and at

least the birds have found a new food source.

aloha

[colin Peters]

A colorful view of the flowering tree, soon to spread a mass amount of seed.

[Pedro 65]

Showing how some native hawaiian birds are adapting to invasive species. I at one time thought

these trees were the worst, now not so much. The Ohia lehua is disappearing from Oahu and at

least the birds have found a new food source.

aloha

Good point Colin, I also think if exotic invasive plants ( not all) "feed" native birds/wildlife in our very diminishing forests worldwide that can be a very good thing, after all, we are "1 World".

Lorikeets "adore" the nectar from Schefflera acinophylla or commomn name here in Oz of this Oz rainforest tree is Umbrella tree, I can see why its got a common name of Octopus tree in Hawaii with the great looking flower stems.

This pic was taken by vgmite.

Pete

[colin Peters]

Wow Pete, that Lorikeet is really cool.

Native Hawaiian Apapane birds also feed on octopus trees here also, they are scarlet red, and have a longer

beek adapted to the Ohia blossoms. Many of our native birds are now long gone, mostly due to "us" one way or another. We

pretty much are the extinction capital of the world.

aloha

and thanks for sharing

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Here in Floriduh, the Monk Parrots love to eat the seeds of the Umbrella Tree. A non native bird eating the seeds of a non native tree.

When I see birds eating the fruit of invasive trees, I don't think that is a good thing. The reason these trees are invasive in the first place is because birds eat the fruit and drop the seeds everywhere. That is the reason why we will never be rid of Schinus and Schefflera and Carrotwood. That is the reason that certain palms that were once perfectly acceptable landscape plants are now on the bad boy list. Around here, our parks and wild life areas are being over run with Phoenix and D. lutescens.

[colin Peters]

I agree, the Schefflera at least seems to stay at a bit lower elevations, and here in our area there really isn't much native left at that level. It is

becoming a solitary forest of strawberry guava at certain levels, also.

I hate invasive plants also, but this was the only bit of positive that I can see from

them. I think the apapane and amakihi are flower nectar drinkers, and not seed eaters, but the

other invasive birds spread the seed everywhere.

It is kinda a depressing hopeless situation, in our valley. Another reason why Pritchardia bakerii is almost extinct here.

aloha