Molecular analysis supports the genus diverging from its closest relatives, the Chlorodrepanis ʻamakihis, during the earliest Pleistocene, about 2.47 million years ago.

The clade containing both genera is sister to the genus Magumma, which contains the ʻanianiau, from which they diverged during the latest Pliocene, about 2.78 million years ago.

Adult males sport one of the most brilliant orange colors found in any bird, a plumage which takes four years to develop.

The ʻakepa cross-bill operates similarly to that in the North American crossbills (genus Loxia), but is much less obvious when the bill is closed.

ʻAkepa is a Hawaiian term meaning "agile", befitting their active foraging at branch tips.

Fretz (2002) suggests that this food source is only found in old-growth Hawaiian forests and could be one factor in ʻakepa population declines.

The koa tree's cracked bark serves as a home for many insects and arthropods that the ʻakepa finds delectable.

Modern developments that take over the environment are threatening the Loxops and reducing their habitat availability in the Kokeʻe region.

A lot of the current region of the Loxops is protected by Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve and, to some extent, by Kokeʻe State Park.