The ʻalae keʻokeʻo, or Hawaiian coot, are charming 14-inch water birds. Their black body and white beak and forehead stand out as they coast along the water. Occasionally, some will have a reddish forehead and dark peak. Found in open marshes and ponds, you’ll see dip their head in the water in search of small ...
Read More Hawaiian coot
Archives by Month:
Not many birds are as graceful and stately as the native ʻio, or Hawaiian hawk, seen soaring over fields, forest edges, and even towns. ʻIo are between 16-18 inches long, males are smaller than females. There are two major color phases that can be observed: dark phase birds are dark brown throughout; and light phase ...
Read More Hawaiian hawk
The ʻaʻo, or Newell’s shearwater, is closely related to the Townsend’s Shearwater of the Galapagos. This small shearwater is black above, white below and has white “saddlebags” that come up near its hips. It was estimated that there were 19,000 breeding pairs in the 1980s but their population is in steep decline and it estimate ...
Read More Newell’s shearwater
The endangered ʻuaʻu are around 16 inches long and have a 36-inch wingspan. Their head, wings and tail are a sooty color with a slightly paler back and their forehead and underparts are white with a short tail. They are usually only seen near land during their breeding season (March to October). where they nest ...
Read More Hawaiian petrel
The endemic koloa, looks similar to the female mallard, but smaller at around 16 to 22 inches. Male and females look alike with dark bills, dark sides and cinnamon colored tail. One way to spot a koloa is by their teal colored patch of wing feathers. Unlike mallards, koloa mostly live in mountain streams. This ...
Read More Hawaiian duck
Hawaiʻi’s State bird, the nēnē, is an iconic favorite among locals. Though endangered, they have recovered spectacularly since near extinction in the 1940s and now are found on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, and Kauaʻi, though carefully managed. Related to the Canada goose, the nēnē differ in their smaller stature at about 25” tall and a white ...
Read More Hawaiian goose