ʻApapane gray with small black eyes with a brown outline. The back of its wings and its tail are colored black, while back bottom is a grayish-white. Apapane are found in mesic and wet forests dominated by "ōhia lehua" ("Metrosideros polymorpha") and "koa" ("Acacia koa") trees. The best habitat also contains "kōlea lau nui" (" Myrsine lessertiana"), "naio" ("Myoporum sandwicense"), and "hapuu" ("Cibotium" spp.) tree ferns, while "māmane" ("Sophora chrysophylla") is a common species in high elevation foraging habitat. Most apapane are found at an elevation above , keeping the birds away from mosquitoes. It lives on the islands of Hawaii,
Koa wilt mortality rate over several years due to Koa wilt. It is also a legume, giving it the ability to form symbiosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria, which has led to efforts to use koa in agroecological systems with crops such as coffee and cacao. Ecologically, koa is an important species because it is one of the few native trees that remains dominant in alien mixed forests on the Hawaiian Islands. Invasive species make up the majority of the State's current plant population. Koa trees also are important because provide a habitat for many native bird species. Historically, there were once two