The majestic pueo is Hawaiʻi’s endemic owl. At about 15-inches tall, they are brown and beige with dark brown streaks and piercing yellow eyes. Unlike other owls, you’ll see pueo hunting during the day in open pastures and forests. Their exciting chase is punctuated with a hover over their prey of mice, insects, or birds before they fold their wings and dive down to make the catch. Pueo are often revered as ʻaumakua, or family guardian spirits by many Hawaiians.

The map below shows hotspots along our birding trails where you might see this bird. Learn more by visiting our species profile page for pueo.