Hawaiʻi creeper is able to climb up and down trees. It uses its short, sharp beak to probe bark for insects residing underneath. If available, it will sip nectar from koa ("Acacia koa") or ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"). The breeding season of the Hawaii creeper lasts from April to July, during which female birds lay one to three eggs. Nests are hidden in a tree cavity or built on a high branch in either a koa ("Acacia koa") or a ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"). Eggs hatch after around thirteen days. The Hawaii creeper was put on the endangered species list in 1975;
Hawaiian tropical rainforests milo ("Thespesia populnea") for the past 1,000–2,000 years. The Polynesian-introduced noni ("Morinda citrifolia"), pia ("Tacca leontopetaloides"), and kī ("Cordyline fruticosa") are also common in this zone. Other native species include pololei ("Ophioglossum concinnum"), ākia ("Wikstroemia" spp.), loulu fan palms ("Pritchardia" spp.), ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"), and lama ("Diospyros sandwicensis"). Mixed mesic forests, at on the windward slopes of the large islands in addition to the summit of Mount Lānaihale on Lānai, receive of rainfall annually and thus may not be true rainforests. The forest canopy, dominated by koa ("Acacia koa") and ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"), is somewhat open, but tree