When you come to Hawaii on any of the Islands you will see a lot of birds that have been introduced and are not actually native to the Islands. I will show a few shots of the bird and then give you a bit of background to show the diversity of the birds we have here. Nearly every bird that you see around town, in parks has been introduced. A lot of them were originally introduced intentionally to help fill the void created by the decline of our native birds. Some of the birds are here because they were brought here to help with pests on farms and orchards. There are also a lot of escaped birds from the pet trade or were intentionally let go when people became bored with them or people passed away and others did not want them. They are all unique and have taken to the Island life like they were always here. Since it takes a lot of effort to see the native birds and a lot of folks don’t have the time or inclination to look that hard these alien birds add a bit of color and fun to the outdoor world here and are still enjoyable. They can also be a life bird for you as they come from around the world like the Yellow bird below, they are from South America!
This common attractive bird is found all around Kailua and the Island in general. When talking to folks visiting the Island and from emails I receive from folks I get more questions about this bird than any other found here! This is the Saffron Finch and it is a native of South America. Introduced to Hawaii in the 1960’s it thrives on the dryer west side of the Island. It is a seed eater and can be found in pairs and family groups almost under your feet at times.
This is the Common introduced from India in 1865 to help control armyworms that were chewing on the grasslands that supported the growing cattle industry at the time. They are found just about everywhere on the Island and in towns are reasonably tolerant of people so are very easy to watch and enjoy. They have bright yellow feet that can be noticed as they walk or skip around. I have also seen them in Australia where they are seen as a pest. They are very intelligent and soon learn their way to find their favorite foods.
This is the Zebra Dove or Barred Dove to some and is one of the most common of our low land birds. You will see them almost anyway around town and also the countryside. They breed all year round and you will see the males calling constantly hoping to attract a female. They were first brought to the Island in 1922 as a popular cage bird from Australia.
This is the Spotted Dove, it is much larger than the Zebra Dove and can be seen in basically the same places. It was introduced in the late 1800’s and is native to India and Southeast Asia. It can be easily approached in high human traffic areas but is more likely seen in the trees coming down to the ground to search for seeds. It is much larger than the Zebra Dove with a much more growly sounding call.
The mourning dove is not found on the Island in large numbers and you usually have to pay close attention to actually find one. They do not live in or around the local towns so you have to find the areas where there are a good stand of trees like Spencer Beach park which has a water way and brushy thick area of trees where you listen for the mourning call and then try and get a look. Be sure to have repellent with you are the area where the dove is found has a lot of mosquitoes.
The Rock Dove, Rock Pigeon or just Pigeon was one of the first birds introduced to the Hawaiian Island back in 1796 when the Islands were first “discovered” by europeans. They like to live around humans and roost, nest on buildings, houses and other manmade structures. But they are not real common and again you see the they are locally common but not wide spread.
This is the Warbling White-eye and is probably the most common bird on the Island, but it is small and green and hunts for food in bushy green shrubs and trees. The name was only recently changed from the Japanese White-eye which is where this bird was originally from.
The Northern Mockingbird was introduced to the Islands in 1928 and can be found in dry habitats from the coast near the ocean up the dry side of Mauna Kea. They are noisy defenders of their nesting sites and you do not see them in flocks but singly and in pairs throughout the year.
The Northern Cardinal is very familiar to most of you as it is a common backyard bird throughout North America. The Cardinal has been on the Island since the 1920’s. Genetic studies have established that there are at least five distinct subspecies of the Common Cardinal and the one we have on the Island is the same bird found in Arizona and Northern Mexico. It is found from the coast up to the high wet forests but is most common in the lowlands.
This the Yellow-billed Cardinal and is a very common bird in Kailua-Kona, but unlike the Northern Cardinal this bird is a member of the Tanager family and was introduced from Brazil in 1930. It is only found on the Big Island, and it has a cousin, the Crested Cardinal also from Brazil which is found on Oahu and has not yet established on the Big Island. You can see this pretty bird in pairs mostly on the leeward side of the Island, but its population is expanding and can be found in Hilo now as well.
I know that many of you have seen this common bird no matter where you call home as it is now found worldwide. It is known as the English Sparrow (its original home is England), the Common Sparrow, the House Sparrow. They have adapted or mutated to be able to utilize carbohydrates that we as humans make available to these little guys all the time. Tossing them bread and crackers. The have been living with humans for a very long time and truly cannot be found in forests. They nest in and around buildings, eat everything they find in the garbage we leave and basically live off us. You will find them hanging around parking lots, under you feet at outdoor restaurants and looking for handouts or something to steal in parks and picnic grounds.
The House Finch was imported to the Islands in 1869 and is one of the most common in all of the Islands. They love overripe Papaya fruit. They have several color groups from Darker red to a nice Yellow. The males are the colored ones, with the females basically brown with heavily stripped breasts. They were brought to Hawaii in 1869 and have flourished.
This is the Yellow-fronted Canary and is only found on the Big Island and on Oahu. It comes from subsaharan Africa and was imported in the 1960’s. It is most likely found on the leeward side of the Island where it hunts for seeds and insects on the ground or in low shrubs.
The Common Waxbill is small, about 4 inches from tip of the bill to the end of the tail. Arriving from Africa in the 1970’s it has done well and spread to all of the Islands. They are common and widespread in the Kailua-Kona area but you must look close because they are so small they are easily missed. They hang in family groups and can be found bending grass stalks over to get at the seeds their primary diet.
The Lavender Waxbill is not as common as its cousin the Common Waxbill. South of Kailua is a good place to look for this bird which earns its name because of the color of its bill. It is sometimes called the Lavender Firefinch because of the bright rufous tail. You will likely see a pair with groups of youngsters later in the year. It too is a native of Africa and a fun bird to see here in Hawaii.
The Java Sparrow is fairly common on the Island but for me has been very difficult to get pictures of, I have a couple like that. The Java Sparrow is becoming increasingly abundant on all of the Islands. I once saw several thousand swarming into roosting trees in a Maui parking lot just before sunset. They originally came from Indonesia and you cannot miss them when you are out looking at birds.
This the African Silverbill is found in the dryer areas of the Island, North Kona. It is found near sources of water where it visits several times a day. It is another of our seed loving birds so you will be looking for grassy areas where they can be seen going after seeds. Start looking as soon as you leave Kailua in the grassy areas to the airport, then all the way to Spencer Beach after the airport. Waikaloa Village golf course is also a good spot when they come to the golf course ponds for water.
The Nutmeg Mannikin, also known as the Scaly-breasted Munia came to the Big Island from Southeast Asia way back in 1865. It is now prevalent on all of the Islands and if you are a rice farmer they can be a real pest. They small birds are found from the the coast to the high altitudes anywhere it can find open grassy areas. I have also seen them in North Queensland, Australia.
The Tanimbar Corella is found on the Big Island and has a small population found up on Hualalai volcano behind Kailua-Kona on Koloko Rd about half way to the end of the Road. The Tanimbar corella, also known as Goffin’s cockatoo, is a species of cockatoo endemic to forests of Yamdena, Larat and Selaru, all islands in the Tanimbar Islands archipelago in Indonesia. It is the smallest of the white cockatoos and due to the deforestation of the Islands where they are from is considered to be endangered in the wild. It is a popular bird with collectors and it appears there are more of these wonderful birds in captivity that there are in the wild.
The Red-masked Parakeet is a common bird in the Kailua-Kona area most often seen flying in paired flocks high overhead heading to areas they feed in from their roosts high on Hualalai. They are native to Ecuador and Peru and are one of about a dozen parrot species now calling the Hawaiian Island home so always be on the lookout for parrots as they can show up anywhere.
This is the Red-billed Leiothrix, also know as the Peking Nightingale or Japanese Hill Robin and was brought to Hawaiian from Asia early in the 1900’s. They travel in family groups and are more often heard rather than seen as they like to hang out in bushy areas. I have found them most often as soon as I have entered forested areas on the Island, you have to pay attention because you will hear them before you see them and they usually do not sit out where they are easily seen.
These cute little Red-cheeked Lovebirds are pretty easy to find. You have to travel to Waikola Village and look for the only gas station next to the main grocery store, park and watch the corrugated roof over the gas pumps. This is where these small birds like to nest and you can see them coming and going from this location. Otherwise you can find them in the trees out on the nearby golf course.
Some of the introduced birds found on the Island that I haven’t been able to photograph yet!
Sky Lark – This is a common bird on the Island, you will see them when you head to Hilo from Kona, they are a high altitude bird and love the high treeless areas in the saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa along Saddle Road. They are very spooky and difficult to photograph.
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse – I found these up at Waikaloa Village in North Kona, where it is dry and treeless. There is a skateboard park on the outskirts of the small town and they can be seen on the soccer and baseball fields there.
Red Avadavat – I have seen several of these pretty birds, but to date do not have a photograph, they are a member of the seed eating group so you have to look for them in the dryer areas of the Island, check out the Big Island country club that occasionally will have them visiting.