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,
Hawaiian tropical dry forests Hawaiian tropical dry forests The Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niihau and Kahoolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than and may be as low as ; the rainy season lasts from November to March. Dominant tree species include koa ("Acacia koa"), koaia ("A. koaia"), akoko ("Euphorbia" spp.), ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"), lonomea ("Sapindus oahuensis"), māmane ("Sophora chrysophylla"), loulu ("Pritchardia" spp.), lama ("Diospyros sandwicensis"), olopua ("Nestegis sandwicensis"), wiliwili