The iiwi is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Its vermilion-and-black plumage and long, deeply curved bill are distinctive. It feeds on flower nectar in mountain forest, and most of the current population is on Hawaiʻi, Maui and Kauaʻi.
The body is brilliant vermilion with black areas, and the bill is long and deeply curved. Immature birds differ in plumage from adults.
It feeds mainly on nectar from flowers such as ʻōhiʻa and māmane, and also eats insects and spiders. It searches the middle and upper forest canopy and can pierce the bases of tubular flowers. It builds a cup nest in a tree.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.