This page contains the reason that many of you have traveled so many miles to get here! To find the Native Hawaiian birds, some of which are only found here on the Big Island of Hawaii. Most of these birds are not found in large numbers and to find them you have to travel all over the Island and sometimes have to hike at high altitudes over difficult terrain.
Photographing them is another story, they are not large birds as a rule and they do not sit around waiting to be photographed. They move quickly through the leaves and branches of their favorite trees, then move quickly to another tree looking for their favorite flowers.
I have been on the Island for a few years and still do not have photos of three of the rarer birds so I have asked a good friend of mine to help me out with pictures and he was kind enough to do so. Good Luck in your efforts to find these birds and I truly wish you only the best of luck. Check out the guide page if you need a guide who can put you on the rare birds.
The Native Birds of the Big Island
Apapane
The Apapane is still common on the Island and can be found in the higher native forests. In Kona a drive up Kaloko Road to the upper levels will give you a very good opportunity to view this Red and Black bird flying high over the trees. You will find it on the Ohia trees with their red cluster flowers. It is a quick moving bird as it feeds making it difficult to photograph.
I’iwi
The I’iwi is the iconic bird of Hawaii and people come from all over the world just to see this wonderful bird. It is still fairly common in the high native forests of the Big Island. I regularly find it on the Pu’u O’o Trail, Kipuka Ainahou section (first 2 miles) see map below. When on the trail you cross ridges at the beginning then the trail drops down onto relatively flat ground with native forest on your right. These forests are where the native birds are found. Be sure to have good footwear as you will be off trail and the ground is very uneven. The map below is live so you can enlarge it to specifically see where the trail is. There is a small parking area at the trail head and you can easily to miss it when you are speeding along on the highway.
Amakihi
This is the Hawaiian Amakihi and it is one of the more numerous native forest birds found on the Island. It can be readily found as soon as you enter the native forest at higher elevations. It appears to have some resistance to the avian malaria and as such there is a study being done to see if they can come up with some ability to save the Kaua’i form which is grave danger of going extinct. Look for it in the lower bushes moving quickly to feed on flowers.
Palila
The Palila is one of the forest birds that is relatively easy to find. It lives on the dry side of Mauna Kea in the high dry Mamane forests. They live on these Mamane trees, feeding on the seeds found in their seed pods. You can see in the picture above the leaves of the Mamane tree. The area where they are found has been fenced off to protect the trees from the hungry goats and sheep found on the mountain. This is currently the only area that the Palila can be found, there have been attempts to start new flocks in other areas but so far they have not been successful. There is concern for this bird as the latest census has shown their numbers dropping.
Akakane
The Akakane or better know among the Hawaiian birding community as the Hawaii Akepa. It has a bit of a crossed bill at the tip to help it find its favorite insects found in leaf clusters. This is not an easy bird to locate and the best place reliably find it is in the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge which requires a permit or the hiring of a guide who has the permit. You can find two of the best in my guide section.
Hawaiian Creeper
The Hawaiian Creeper is another of the rarer birds on the Island. It does not have an Hawaiian name and only lives in the high mountains of the Hawaiian Island. It is possible to find this little fellow around the area of mile marker 21 on Saddle road, but it is not easy to find. The best place is the Hakalau Forest, again you need the permit. It clings to the bark of the trunk, and limbs creeping along looking for insects in moss clumps and crevices in the bark on which it feeds.
Akiapola’au
The Akiapola’au is highly endangered and can only be found in the high mountain forests of the Big Island. It kind of occupies the niche that a woodpecker might be found in the forest using its short straight lower bill to peck holes I the bark of trees and then using the hooked upper beak to probe and pull out fat grubs and such. The Hakalau Forest is again the spot to go to, so if you are set on seeing this wonderful bird then a guide is you only sure way of find it.
Elepaio
The Hawai’i Elepaio is fairly easy to find on the Island, just head for the high country and pay attention when you are hiking. There are two other subspecies found on other islands, the O’ahu Elepaio and the Kaua’i Elepaio. This perky little flycatcher is found in all of the higher native forests and you will recognize it by the white spotting and the tail up pose is your first clue you are looking at this great bird. The bird found on the drier Mauna Kea shows a lot more white that the wetter side bird.
Pueo
The Hawaiian Owl is fairly common on the Island and can be see in the early morning and late afternoon up on Saddle road. If it looks familiar it is because it is the Short-eared owl that you have seen on mainland. Fossil records show that it did not appear on the Island until after it was colonized by the Polynesians.
Io
The Hawaiian Hawk is only found on the Big Island and can be seen anywhere on the Island. It is not as common as the Hawaiian Owl, in fact it is classified as endangered, but if you are observant you will see it soaring on the thermals just about anywhere. It feeds on insects, rodents and birds. It comes in two color phases, light and dark. This picture is showing the light phase bird.
Kioea
The Bristle-thighed Curlew is another of the birds only found on the Island from August to April as it nests in northern Alaska. It can fly incredible distances to find its wintering grounds on the South Pacific islands as far south as Tahiti. It is found in small numbers on all of the Islands and gathers in groups on favorite short grass feeding areas.
Kolea
The Pacific Golden-Plover is one of the easiest of the native birds to be found on the Island, except you have to be here between mid-August and late April to see it. The rest of the time it is on the tundra of far north Alaska where it is raising the next generation of PG plovers. This picture is what you see here of the winter plumage of this great bird, except in late April when you can get a chance to see the wonderful black and white tuxedo breeding plumage it takes to the far north. To see this bird just look for any green grass area you see, golf courses, large yards, by parking lots, beaches etc. You will find a single bird jealously guarding that chunk of grass against all feathered intruders.
On the breeding grounds the adults will leave the north heading for their favorite island when the chicks are fully feathered. They fly for three days straight and return to the exact spot they held the year before. The chicks will leave a month later and blindly fly for three days until they find an island and then try to find a spot that doesn’t have another plover already living there.
‘Akekeke
The Ruddy Turnstone is another winter visitor that is quite the world traveler and can be found on islands and shorelines around the world. Here in Hawaii it is usually found on rocky shores you will never see them on sandy beaches, but I have seen them around golf courses far away from the water. You very seldom see just one, as they like to gather in small groups. The Hawaiian name comes from the call that they make.
Hunakai
You have seen the Sanderling on almost any ocean beach you have been around and if you are like me they are great fun to watch as they dodge the waves coming in and crashing on shore. Their Hawaiian name means sea foam because it is so good at staying just ahead of the waves it appears to be part of the sea foam. You will find them here in the Islands in flooded pastures, marshy areas, costal rocky reefs at low tide and of course beaches. Again they are only here from August to April.
‘Ulili
The Wandering Tattler, as its name suggests, can be found throughout the Islands in the Pacific. It arrives in the Hawaiian Islands in late August and hangs around until late April before heading north to the breeding grounds. They will be found on mud flats and the rock reefs on the island when the tide is out. You will see them one at a time as they seldom group up but they are relatively common so you should easily find one. Again their Hawaiian name is derived from their cry when disturbed. “uu-li-li-li”
Ae’o
The Hawaiian Stilt is a subspecies of the common Black-necked Stilt of North America. If you compare the two side by side you will note more black on the neck and face. They are found in areas that collect freshwater forming ponds and mud flats. They are a threatened species due to habitat loss, feral cats and the mongoose. The best place to see them in good numbers if you are in Kona is at the waste treatment ponds just north of Kailua.
‘Alae ke’oke’o
The endemic Hawaiian Coot is a descendent of the common American Coot which still occasionally shows up in the Islands. As you can see the white shield is much larger than the shield of the American Coot. They can be found on all of the Islands except Lanai where it is rare. There are good numbers on the Big Island at the sewage ponds and also the fish ponds just north of the sewage ponds by the boat harbor. They are considered endangered with the loss of shallow freshwater ponds on the Island.
‘Auku’u
The Black-crowned Night-heron has been breeding on the Islands for centuries so is considered to be native. You cannot tell it from the North American Black-crowned Night-heron. You will see it around almost every pond that has fish for it to catch and it hunts both day and night. The picture is showing an adult bird, the young are streaked and brown in color.
Koloa mapu
The Northern Pintail once had thousands migrating to the Islands today the number is more like dozens. They are regularly seen during the late fall and winter season on any freshwater body of water you may find on the Islands.
Koloa moha
The Northern Shoveler is a common duck in North America and spends the winter in Hawaii so regularly that it has been given a Hawaiian name for the brightness of its colored feathers. It is seen from late September through April on any of the shallow freshwater or brackish ponds found on the Islands.
The Hawaiian goose is a cousin of the Canadian goose but it does not migrate so is isolated to the Islands. This little goose was almost wiped out by the 1950’s when there were less than 30 still living they were captured and an intensive breeding program was developed. Today they are making a terrific comeback with good populations on the Islands and recently have been successfully breeding on the Island. The best place to look for them is just about any golf course where they are at home with all of that lovely fairway grass. They are relatively tame when they are around people but please give them space so they can continue to give us the pleasure of their company.
The native birds not shown on this page:
- The Hawaiian Duck – Koloa mail
- The Hawaiian Crow – Alala
- The Omao
The Hawaiian Duck is seen occasionally at the far north end of the Island, past Hawi to the end of the road where you can park and then take a rather long hike down to the bottom of the valley where there are some ponds with good vegetation where the ducks like to stay well hidden when people are around. So good luck there is always a chance you will see it. Then you just make the long uphill hike to get to your car.
The Hawaiian Crow is endangered with the population down to 12 individuals before it was taken out of the wild and placed in a captive breeding program. The number was raised above a hundred but a group released back into the wild did not do well so it may never again be seen in the wild. The Big Island was the only Island where the crow was found, but predation, disease, habitat loss and other factors have reduced the Alala to non-sustainable numbers. Let’s hope they can make a comeback one day!
The Omao is member of the thrush family and only found on the Big Island. I have personally seen this fun bird on several occasions but have not been able to get a photograph so far. It is fairly common in the wet forests on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
As you can see the native birds are not a large group but oh are they special with a little work and time you can seen them all and count yourself fortunate to have seen them as several are heading toward extinction never to be seen again.