We finally made it! Hawaii, Oahu, Honolulu, Waikiki. Let the vacation begin. So much anticipation leading up to this moment. Having never been to Oahu, I felt like a little boy on Christmas morning. I had ants in my pants. I had to get out and explore.
We checked into our Waikiki AirBnB on the 24th floor of an apartment building with a great view looking towards the sea. Literally, the first thing I saw looking out the window was 3 white terns fluttering over the buildings. After organizing, it was time to start birding Oahu. Our daughter would not be arriving for a couple of days.
A Walk around Town, Birding Oahu
If you have never birded Oahu or Hawaii for that matter, even an urban walk is full of wonder. The hotel gardens and public parks are a menagerie of exotic and introduced birds. To name some of the more colorful pickings: Red-crested Cardinal, Saffron Finch, Common Waxbill and Java Sparrow. These birds are everywhere.
Here are some quick facts about some of the non-native birds:
Red-crested Cardinal(right): Not an actual cardinal (Cardinalidae) but a true tanager (Thraupidae). Introduced from Brazil to Hawaii in 1930 as a well-intended measure to add to bird diversity and eat pests. Well established on all major islands except the Big Island.
Saffron Finch(left): Not an actual finch (Fringillidae) but a true tanager (Thraupidae). While one might excuse the introduction of some species at earlier dates due to a lack of understanding, these birds were introduced in 1960 to the Big Island and have now spread thoughout.
Common Waxbill: A common cage bird that escaped in the 1970’s and has spread throughout the islands. Native to Sub-saharan Africa.
Java Sparrow: As the name suggests, this bird is native to Java. One of the few bird species that is endangered in its native range and thriving elsewhere. It has been introduced to many other locations around the world. Introduced to Hawaii in the 1960’s.
Common Myna: Perhaps the most visible of the introduced birds. Hoppers. Introduced in 1865 to control army worms. Not particularly appreciated by the locals as indicated by a translation of their Hawaiian name, Manu Aipilau, Trash-eating Bird.
Warbling White-eye: Introduced in 1929 for insect control. Considered a particularly bad species for its impact on spreading seeds of non-native plants to otherwise invasive plant free areas. Also an avian malaria carrier that overlaps habitat with the native forest birds.
There are many other introduced birds (Wikipedia lists 56), but these are the songbirds you will most commonly see in Honolulu.
The Search for Native Forest Birds
If you want to see native Hawaii forest birds, you must venture skyward to the heart of the Oahu tropical forests. While plotting my birding Oahu plans, I determined that the best locations based on recent eBird reports were the Aiea Loop Trail and the Manoa Cliffs Trail. Both are rated Moderate and about 4 miles in length. Both trails were very scenic and allowed good views of two of the species: Oahu Amakihi and Oahu Elepaio. Not seen on Oahu was the Apapane. Sadly, these three species are all that remain from a once diverse and beautiful array of birds. Perhaps this beauty and acoustic void hastened the importation and release of non-native songbirds.
I was very pleased to hear Oahu Amakihi singing repeatedly and get many good views of this bird which is Red Listed as Vulnerable. The Oahu Elepaio which is listed as Endangered was far more elusive. We finally managed to hear the call of one and track it down. We had good looks and even a photo. All this on the first trail (Aiea Loop Trail). We did get the Amakihi on the Manoa Cliff Trail, but this was generally less productive than the Aiea Loop Trail.
The Forest Symphony
I cannot recall a time where the forest sang as beautifully as on the two forest trails that we completed. Most of the song came from the Red-billed Leiothrix and the White-rumped Shama. The Amakihi and doves added to the chorus. There is no better symphony for any price.
The Leiothrix and Shama are introduced. Do they disrupt native birds? I think the short answer is “yes”. They can be carriers of avian malaria, the primary threat to native forest birds, and share their habitat.
I was excited to see the bulbuls of Hawaii. They are members of one of my favorite bird families from my days in Vietnam. Both the Red-vented and the Red-whiskered were plentiful on the mountain trails and down low. The Red-vented was new to me as it was not found in Vietnam.
Birding Oahu in the Lowlands
There are numerous lowland wildlife refuges around the island. These refuges protect the breeding habitat for the Hawaiian sub-species of the Black-necked Stilt. These birds were once reduced to 200 individuals due to predation from feral and invasive animals and over-hunting. The numbers are strong now and birds can be seen at any of these refuges. Finding these feathered friends while birding Oahu is thankfully not a problem.
Other native water birds that utilize the protection of the marsh are the Hawaiian Coot and the Hawaiian subspecies of the Common Gallinule.
I particularly enjoyed walking the trail at the Kawainui Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary and then enjoying a cold beer at the Lanikai Brewery.
The Tale of the White Tern
If you have ever seen this tern, while birding Oahu, you will easily understand the other names used for this bird: Fairy Tern, Angel Tern and even Alien Tern. Use of Fairy Tern was officially dropped and given to another bird which does this name much less justice. In Hawaii the bird is known as Manu-a-Ku. Translated to Bird of Ku. Ku being a Hawaiian deity.
Historically, the birds were navigational aids to Polynesians. If the bird is flying without fish in its beak, it is flying from land. If it is flying with fish in its beak, it is flying to land. White Terns are unique among terns in carrying multiple fish in their beak at a time.
My perception of this bird is that in Oahu it may well be more beloved than the Nene.
How I came to know that this bird had an interesting story, was when watching an episode of the original Hawaii Five-0 from 1971. The story had a scene where an idol was made from white feathers and was taken to a museum. An ornithologist noticed the white feathers were from a White Tern and expressed concern about the threat to White Terns which, at the time, were still quite rare. Needless to say, I had to fact check her. She was right and I learned a lot.
This cute, all-white, fragile looking bird has made a remarkable comeback in Hawaii after being down to 2 breeding individuals in the southeastern Hawaiian Islands in 1960. Loss of nesting habitat, predation from non-native mammals and over hunting (feathers) all but wiped them out.
Protection and education have certainly helped with the return of the breeding population. While all involved can and should give each other big high-fives, what makes the comeback remarkable is how the birds saved themselves by adapting to city life. They only nest on Oahu and only in urban areas in and around Honolulu.
A few years ago, the bird was named the official bird of Honolulu. Clubs, social media groups and various non-profits track nesting patterns and success and educate the community.
The birds do not build nests. They lay one egg at a time in a suitable location on a tree branch. When the first hatchling fledges, another egg is layed. Hatchlings must be very careful. Nesting sites are vulnerable to typical urban activities, particularly tree trimming. Concerned citizens groups coordinate with the public to identify active nests and time tree trimming accordingly. There is also a network to recover and try to reunite fallen hatchlings.
Birding Oahu Conclusion
I consider my efforts birding Oahu a success. I got all the species I needed to get on Oahu and a total of 30 species overall. Fourteen of which were lifers. More important than any of that was that we had a great time with our daughter and looked forward to seeing her in a couple of weeks on her home island, the Big Island. In addition to some great birding but we spent one day at Pearl Harbor, went to a Luau, and saw many of the more traditional tourist sites.
Joel and Mirka, this is a spectacular trip report–something that most people can only dream about. Your writing, photography and reports are all superb. I am alarmed that some species were introduced but I doubt that will happen in more modern times. It coincides with the introduction into Panama of the Tropical Mockingbird in 1932 from Colombia. Now that species has reached Bocas del Toro, as I reported in recent years on Hospital Point.
I need lots of help here in Bocas and look forward to seeing you both. Meanwhile, enjoy every moment. Clyde
Great blog post! Learned a lot about the bird diversity in Hawaii, and makes me look forward to enjoying this same symphony someday myself. Also, great photographs!
Great read, very informative, looking forward to part 3.