Take a break, my friends, from snow shovels, ice melt, fleece, snow boots, and derrière-freezing dog walks and let’s go snowbirding to the Big Island of Hawaii! The photos and videos herein were taken during my stay in November-December, a trip also diaried here and here.
The Hawaiian Islands are a dream destination for birders, with 350 species recorded, including 59 endemic birds found nowhere else on the planet. That’s what extreme isolation (~2,000 miles to the nearest land mass), 3-4 million years, and a colonizing rosefinch ancestor can do! In addition to the endemics, the Islands host many introduced bird species from Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and North America.
Though my trip was focused on family matters, I did manage to get out birding a few times and was able to check off a few Hawaiian endemics on my life list:
Ha’ena Beach, also known as Shipman Beach, south of Hilo was the first release area for captive-bred nēnēs on the Big Island.
Hawaiian Goose (nēnē) — The nēnē is the State Bird of Hawai’i and a federally threatened species. They inhabit Kauai, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island, breeding on mid-elevation slopes and feeding on seeds, leaves, flowers, and berries. Nēnē is a distant relative of the Canada Goose or their forbearers, likely blown off course in migration ~500,000 years ago. Nēnēs have evolved padded toes, claws, and reduced webbing on their feet to better walk over rugged lava flows. Populations hit a low of 20 individuals in 1950, but they’ve since rebounded to ±2,500 individuals through captive breeding and release programs, habitat management, and ESA protections.
Hawaiian Coot (ʻalae keʻokeʻo) — Endemic to the larger Hawaiian Islands, the Hawaiian Coot is found in fresh and brackish-water ponds and marshes with emergent vegetation. They look much like the American Coot except for their large, bulbous frontal shield which may be white (pale-shielded morph) or purple-red (red-shielded morph) .
Adult Hawaiian Coot with two young chicks still showing their bald orange heads, observed in a freshwater spring near Wai'olena Beach Park in Hilo.
Roosting ledge for an adult noio
Hawaiian Noddy (noio) — This handsome member of the Tern Family is a subspecies of Black Noddy endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago. It breeds on all of the main islands, nesting in small colonies on rocky sea cliffs. The Hawaiian Noddy is distinguished from other Black Noddy forms by its contrasting pale gray tail and rump, a somewhat shorter-bill, and dull to bright orange feet. Hawaiian Noddies stay within 80 km of shore, following schools of tuna, and are often found with mixed flocks of Brown Noddies, boobies, and shearwaters feeding on small fish and squid stirred up by the tuna.
These Hawaiian Noddies had just flown in from the open ocean, probably a foraging trip.
An immature ‘i’o perches in an ‘ohi‘a snag alert for its next meal.
Hawaiian Hawk (‘i‘o) — The ‘i‘o is endemic to the Big Island of Hawaii and the only hawk species present. It occurs island-wide in all habitats and elevations, though it prefers native forests and partly wooded areas. ‘I’o is a short, stout Buteo with highly variable plumage, much like our Red-tailed Hawk. It occurs in a dark morph (evenly dark brown plumage) and a pale morph (whitish underbody/underwings). Immatures have a buffy-whitish head with a dark mask.
‘I’o are non-migratory and mostly solitary (Buteo solitarius). They’re found in higher densities and have higher nesting success in native ‘ohi‘a forests. ‘I’o are opportunistic predators, taking rats, mongoose, insects, and native and introduced birds. In 2020, ‘i’o were removed from the list of threatened and endangered species based on 30+ years of stable populations.
‘I’o have a hair-raising, shrill call (“eee-oh,” as it’s named!), which brought this immature bird to my attention.
Is this ‘i’o admiring the rainbow too?
Hawaiian Short-eared Owl (pueo) — The pueo is an endemic subspecies of the Short-eared Owl found on all eight of the major Hawaiian islands. It inhabits open grassland-shrubland habitats with ample cover for nesting and roosting. Pueo are most active at dawn and dusk, but can also be seen hunting in daylight hours, such as this one I saw while driving the Saddle Road near Waikii on a foggy afternoon. Hand held camera + full zoom + adrenalin = shaky video. (apologies)
Hawaii ‘Elepaio — This little flycatcher is a species of Monarch Flycatcher, a tropical family of small, insectivorous songbirds with long tails and broad bills. This little bird seems less like a flycatcher and more like a perky, chatty chickadee. The Hawaiian ‘elepaio is endemic to the Big Island and fairly common in native forests above 1,000 feet. I came across a few in patches of old-growth ‘ohi‘a-koa forest, but they were like BBs in a boxcar trying to get a photo!
‘Elepaio were considered guiding spirits for Hawaiian canoe makers; if an ‘elepaio pecked at a koa tree harvested for canoe-making, it was thought to be unseaworthy and was passed over.
Hawaiian Thrush (‘oma’o) — Endemic to the Big Island, the ‘oma’o occurs in native forests and scrublands on the east slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. This plump, short-tailed thrush has brown upperparts and grayish underparts, while immatures have a dark-gray breast with dense, pale-cream spotting. ʻOmaʻos forage on a wide variety of fruits and berries of native shrubs and trees. As one of the Big Island’s last native fruit-eating bird, the ‘oma’o serves an important role in dispersing the seeds of native understory plants.
An immature ‘ōma‘ō (Hawaiian Thrush) gobbles up ripe pūkiawe (Styphelia tameiameiae) berries.
Like other thrushes, ‘oma’os have a large repertoire of melodious songs — and then there’s whatever this is. Listen for the replies of neighboring ‘oma’os.
‘Apapane — This endemic honeycreeper is one of Hawaii’s most abundant and widespread native songbirds, occurring in the forested highlands of the Big Island, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Lanai. They’re known for their island-hopping flights in search of locally blooming ‘ohi‘a flowers (their primary food source). ‘Apapanes probe ‘ohi‘a flowers with their thin decurved bill, and sip nectar using a brush-tipped tongue, in turn pollinating the tree. They stay high in the canopy and bop from flower to flower, making them very challenging to photograph!
A flash of crimson in the forest is usually an ‘apapane. The bird’s scarlet feathers were prized by native Hawaiians and incorporated into cloaks, helmets, and leis worn by nobility.
I’iwi — One of the most spectacular of Hawaii’s birds, the i’iwi is an icon of Hawaiian native forests and one of the most sought-after by birders in the Aloha State. The i’iwi sports a vermilion head and body, black wings and tail, a contrasting white patch on inner secondaries, and a long, sickle-shaped, coral-pink bill. Among the diversely-adapted Hawaiian honeycreepers, the i’iwi fills the “hummingbird” niche, with a bill specially coevolved to fit into tubular flowers (like endemic Lobelias). Like the ‘apapane, i’iwi are nomadic in their search for flowering trees. They have a rich and varied songbook, including “creaks, whistles, gurgles, and reedy notes, some resembling notes played on an old harmonica (Pratt 2005).” I learned to hone in on their call that sounds like a creaky door hinge. Also like the ‘apapane, these lovely buggers were either hiding in thick vegetation or flitting atop the canopy, making me work for every image.
An i’iwi sings from a high distant perch in the Kaulana Manu Nature Trail.
Towards the end of this video I took, the male i’iwi does a ‘wing-fluttering’ courtship display. If you were a female viewing him from above, those white secondaries would be like visual Morse Code!
Common Amakihi — This small (4-½ inch) endemic honeycreeper is one of the most common native forest birds of Hawaii, found on the Big Island, Maui, and Molokai. Males are yellow-olive overall with blackish lores forming a mask; females and immatures are pale gray with a yellow or olive wash. The bill is short and decurved, but can vary in size and shape. This adaptable bird is nonmigratory and omnivorous, feeding on insects, spiders, and nectar. The few I encountered were in old-growth ‘ohi‘a-koa forests feeding on the flowers of both tree species.
Male amakihi feeding on the nectar of ‘ohi‘a blossoms.
In addition to the endemics above, I added a few species that are seasonal migrants or species from elsewhere in the world that naturally found their way to the Hawaiian Archipelago. Check-listed but not photographed were Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, White-tailed Tropicbird, and Brown Booby.
Black-crowned Night Herons (ʻaukuʻu) are found near ponds, streams, marshes and shorelines where they hunt for shellfish, fish, frogs, mice, and insects. This bird had its big red eyes set on breakfast.
The Pacific Golden-Plover (kolea) is a remarkable migrating shorebird, flying from its Arctic breeding grounds to wintering grounds in the Pacific and Indian oceans, as far as 8,000 miles.
I kept track of introduced species as well — lordy, they’re numerous (too numerous), especially in coastal areas. Here are a few I photographed.
Gray Francolin, a large grouse-like bird native to India. I also observed a covey of the larger Erckel’s Francolin (native to E. Africa) in the grassland where I saw the pueo.
Spotted Dove — common throughout the Big Island’s low to mid-elevations. Native to SE Asia.
Zebra Dove — smaller than Spotted Dove; not quite as abundant. Native from Malaya to Australia.
Common Myna — gregarious, noisy, and everywhere! The “starling” of the Big Island. Native to India.
Saffron Finch — these seemed to always be in pairs; native to South America.
Mahalo for joining me for this last of my Big Island trilogy!
Time for the Chorus to chime in.
What birdilicious things are happening in your world?
