Invasive Nuisances! The Best Beginner’s Guide to Birds of Hawai’i

So you are on vacation and see all these amazing birds in Hawai’i. Not surprising, you might have no idea what they are. No worries! I will introduce you to some of the Hawaiian birds that you might meet on your first visit. While researching this article I discovered that most of them are invasive species and hurt the indigenous Hawaiian bird population!

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Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

One aspect I always enjoy when birding in a different place is discovering new-to-me birds. During our first day on Oahu, we hit a double whammy on our first walk, right in Waikiki. Within the first twenty minutes, we saw a bulbul and a flittering flock of white-eyes! Back then, I was amazed at these Hawaiian birds, but later I found out that most of those birds actually were pests, replacing the native birds of Hawai’i.

Red-whiskered Bulbul: An Invasive Bully

This is a red-whiskered bulbul. Before Hawaii, I didn’t even know a bulbul existed. Loudly and vocally announcing itself, I heard it before I saw it. Admiring their colors, I felt that yes, we truly had arrived in the tropics! Well, until I came home and found the story behind the bird.

Why is this Bulbul a Pest?

Who would have known that this innocent looking bird competes with local birds for food and space? Recklessly, it spreads the seeds of invasive plants, so it is like the gift that keeps on giving. In addition, they like to bully other birds, and jealously and aggressively protect whatever food they want.

Where do they Belong? And why are they on Hawaii?

The Red-whiskered bulbul is native to India and Burma. They were brought to Hawaii as pets. Wild populations are thought to have resulted from pets possibly escaping or being illegally released in the 1960’s.

Only on Oahu? For now…

For now it seems that only Oahu has trouble with them. These birds are present in large numbers island-wide, although somewhat less numerous than red-vented bulbuls (which actually made it to the list of the 100 of the World’s most invasive alien species!)

Japanese White-Eyes: the Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men…

While I was still savoring my bulbul, Tom found a spectacle of cute and talkative little birds at a dumpster area. These turned out to be Japanese white-eyes, the most common bird in Hawaii. In 1929, they were popular to use for insect control on sugar plantations. At first it seemed like a good idea, until these white-eyes start outcompeting the native bird population.

Could this be a hint that humans shouldn’t mess with mother Nature?

Hawaiian Introduced Birds on Oahu

While researching this article, I realized more and more how humans transported many bird species to the island, most of them posing a threat to the endemic (local) bird population.

The Red-Crested Cardinal: Belongs in South America

When we went hiking at Diamond Head, I met my new favorite bird, the red-crested Cardinal. Flaming and brilliantly red, their crest is visible from far away. We loved encountering it a few times on this hike. As a common scavenger, it was happily eating food scraps left behind by hikers.

Although I couldn’t find any mention of this cardinal being invasive, it still is a bird which doesn’t belong in Hawai’i. Similar to the Northern Cardinal, “we, the people” imported it to Hawai’i in 1929.

The Northern Cardinal: Red = Danger!

Of course you might wonder why we introduced all these birds to Hawai’i. Well, it turns out that, according to the locals, Hawai’i did not have enough song bird variety.

So they started a bird society “Hui Manu” (literally “bird meeting”) for the sole purpose of introducing new “worthy” birds to the islands.

Hui Manu, a bird society founded in 1930 to acclimatize exotic birds, introduces 1,000 cardinals to Oahu. “The brilliantly red cardinal seems a particularly fortunate selection, as few birds seem to fit into the tropic scene more effectively than this vividly colored bird.”

Honolulu magazine

In addition to Hui Manu, the Hilo Chamber of Commerce organized a “Buy a Bird” campaign. During this campaign, school kids raised money to introduce bird species like the Northern cardinal.

Though they are very pretty and brilliantly red, cardinals are a threat to the native Hawaiian birds by taking over food sources and nesting locations.

The Common Myna: World’s Worst Invasive Alien!

Like the house sparrow, another scavenger bird is the myna. The first time I saw mynas was in Singapore and I remember them fondly as loud, bold and very present. They remind me of magpies and blue jays in their behavior. It was lovely to meet another statutory of them. And it was nice to actually recognize a bird in Hawai’i, beyond house sparrows and house finches.

But beware! It is not as much fun as it seems. This is one of the only three birds on the IUCN’s list of “100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species”. Native to India, we introduced them to Hawai’i in 1865 to control army worms. Yeah, I don’t know what army worms are either 😛

Nowadays they are all over the place and like the other invasive birds, they compete with native species for food and nesting space. Not only that, they also spread disease.

Spreading Salmonella…

Myna birds carry salmonella and avian malaria. In addition, they have mites, which can cause dermatitis and worsen asthma in humans. So however cute looking they might be, they simply do not belong on Oahu.

Spotted Doves: It’s Not all Fun and Games

Back in the 1800s, when hunters were looking for targets, they had the brilliant idea to import game birds from Asia.

One of them was the spotted dove, which quickly settled on the islands and still is a popular game bird in Hawaii.

Native Birds of Hawai’i (both Indigenous and Endemic

Thankfully we did manage to see some native birds in addition to all the invaders. Maybe you wonder what the difference is between endemic and indigenous. Both are native, but that endemic means that these bird species only exist in Hawai’i, nowhere else. Indigenous birds can be found in other geographic locations, and they somehow found their own way to Hawai’i, without human intervention.

Harry the Hungry Black-Crowned Night Heron (ʻAukuʻu)

Back in New Hampshire, we always refer to our local Great Blue Heron as “Harry”, so we were happy to see one of Harry’s cousins show up in Honolulu. Surprisingly, our first encounters with ‘Auku’u (their Hawaiian name) were at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

They actually are very wide spread, breeding on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Basically ignoring the humans in the resort, they happily ate the colorful fish in the ornamental ponds.

Hawaiian Black Noddy (Noio)

When we took a tour to explore the road to Hana, on Maui, I was happily surprised to see a colony of sea birds. Back then I didn’t know who they were, but it turns out that they are Black Noddies, a subspecies that is also called the Hawaiian Noddy.

Amazing flyers, they were too far away to get good pictures, but at least these should give you an idea of the desolate landscape and pretty birds. And they are native to the Hawaiian islands.

Pacific Golden-Plover (Kōlea)

Happy to find another native Hawaiian bird, although this one is a real globetrotter. They spend the winter in Hawaii, but their breeding grounds are all the way up in Alaska!

Their Hawaiian name Kōlea is based on their keening flight call which loosely means “one who takes and leaves.” One Hawaiian proverb, “Ai no ke Kōlea a momona hoi i Kahiki!” explains that they eat until they are fat, and then return to the land from which they came. (i.e. the Arctic tundras). Maybe we will see one on our Alaska cruise!

Because they are very used to humans, they can easily be found on golf courses and other grassy areas. They eat almost anything that crawls or tries to hide in the lawn. Supplementing those insects, spiders, and small reptiles with berries, leaves, and seeds provides them with a varied diet.

KoleaCount

The Hawaii Audubon Society started a citizen science project called Kōlea Count. Since these plovers return to the same territory each year, scientist have been able to attach tiny light level geolocator devices to the birds and retrieve them the following year. Such research showed that the birds made the 3,000-mile (4,800 km) nonstop flight between Alaska and Hawaiʻi in 3-4 days. Just wow!

Conclusion Birds of Hawai’i

The more I researched this article, the more I blamed humanity for not leaving well enough alone. Still, I hope this article has given you a deeper insight into the birds of Hawai’i and where they fit into the big picture. Have you been to Hawai’i? Which island and which bird did you like best? Did you know so many of them are invasive?

Please let us know in the comments.

Don’t Skip a Visit to Pearl Harbor

Birds are nice, but don’t skip honoring our fallen heroes at Pearl Harbor.

• What to expect during a Visit to Pearl Harbor;
• Five interesting facts about Ford Island. Do you know why the missionaries renamed it?
• Where the Second World War ended! Visit USS Missouri. Now with historic video footage of the Japanese surrender.
• Not all Japanese were our enemy. Some brave ones fought for us! The story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team;

Other Things to Do on Oahu

• Hiking Diamond Head in Hawai’i: ten tips to help you succeed at this iconic hike; Even if you are out of shape or live with a chronic illness;
• Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail: Whales for the Win; Check out this relatively easy, but with amazing views! The trail is fully paved, so wheel chair and stroller accessible;
• Manoa Falls Hike with MS: celebrating failure! A much harder hike, especially after a big rain. Not wheelchair or stroller accessible;
• Snorkeling and Dolphin Watching in Honolulu: for me, swimming is way easier than hiking;
• Surfing at Waikiki Beach Go surf at the Birth Place of Surfing! Great teachers available at Dave’s Big Waves!

Birding Your Way Around The World

• Never Smile at a Crocodile! Beginner’s guide to Birding in the Everglades;
• Birds, Dolphins and Fish Poop: Discover Sian Ka’an, a UNESCO World Heritage Site;
• Eagles galore!
• Life time bucket list: follow Thousands of Snow Geese;
• Watch a heron take out a crocodile!
• The best birding in Costa Rica;
• Explore Isla Contoy in Calcun;
• When hiking is too hard: birds on the Manoa Falls Trail;
• Kennebunkport Maine has good birding hotspots;
• Famous bird painting for booklovers: Where is The Goldfinch Painting now? and how it doesn’t even LOOK like a goldfinch;
• Lots of incidental birding on an Alaska Cruise;
• Last but not least: why birding is the best way to socially distance;

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