Part 2

Introduction of exotic birds must have been the final blow to many of the native species. Unfortunately until recently there was no adequate control over importing and releasing new birds in Hawaii. The delicate balance of nature was rudely upset when some of the more aggressive exotic birds were released indiscriminately on the islands. Exotic birds such as the white-eye became so plentiful that direct competition for food with the natives must have occurred. Furthermore, bird diseases new to Hawaii, such as avian malaria (probably brought to the islands with some introduced bird from the Orient), would have been a great killer. With a few exceptions, however, it does seem that the remaining Hawaiian native birds are now holding their own.

WHERE TO SEE THE BIRDS

You will probably be amazed at the extremes of climate in Hawaii, especially on Kilauea Volcano. This is one of the rare places in the world where you can walk a few hundred yards from an area of heavy rainfall to one of striking dryness. The change is due to prevailing trade winds which force moisture laden clouds up over the mountain masses from the northeast, then allow the clouds to dissipate on the leeward side of the mountains. By taking the Crater Rim drive at Kilauea, you will pass through lush fern jungle on one side of the crater and barren desert on the other.

Birds are very sensitive to these differences in climate. Most of the species you find at Thurston Lava Tube will never be seen at Halemaumau, less than 3 miles away. The same thing is true at Haleakala, although less dramatically so. To help you locate the most rewarding sites for bird study in the park, here are a few suggestions:

Kilauea-Mauna Loa

Thurston Lava Tube. This is the heart of Hawaii’s tree-fern jungle and an excellent habitat for several native species, such as the apapane, iiwi, and amakihi. Spend a few moments looking for these at the exhibit overlook, then take the quarter-mile loop path that leads through the lava tube. On the other side of the lava tube parking area a trail descends into Kilauea Iki, the site of the 1959 eruption. This delightful walk also passes through fern jungle. Be on the lookout for the io (Hawaiian hawk) in Kilauea Iki.

Halemaumau. A most unlikely place for birds; however, there are almost always a few white-tailed tropic-birds soaring within the pit.

Kipuka Puaulu. A popular name for this area is “Bird Park” and for good reason, for this kipuka, a hundred acre island of well developed vegetation surrounded by a recent lava flow, harbors 11 or more species. The commonest here are the white-eye, red-billed leiothrix, and house finch—all exotics. When the ohia trees are in bloom, and usually there are at least a few, large numbers of iiwis and apapanes are attracted to the kipuka. Other interesting birds often seen here are the elepaio, Japanese blue pheasant, and cardinal.

Mauna Loa Strip. More kinds of birds (18) have been recorded from the koa parkland along the Mauna Loa Strip road than from any other locality in the park, but you are not likely to see large numbers in any one place along the strip. The road ascends the lower slopes of Mauna Loa from 4,000 feet at Kipuka Puaulu to 6,663 feet. Several introduced game birds—Japanese blue pheasant, California quail, and chukar—may be flushed as you drive up the road. Skylarks and house finches are fairly common along the grassy flats, and you are almost sure to see an amakihi in the koa grove at the end of the road. If you are lucky you might be rewarded with a glimpse of a nene somewhere on these upper slopes.

Haleakala

Hosmer Grove and Paliku. These two localities are about the only densely wooded areas in Haleakala National Park and both attract a variety of birdlife. The apapane, iiwi, and amakihi as well as several exotic birds can be seen at either place. A delightful self-guiding nature trail that identifies many of the plants and trees winds through the Hosmer Grove.

Road to Haleakala Summit. As you drive up to the Observatory from Park Headquarters you will probably be surprised at the number of ring-necked pheasants and chukars that flush along the road. Golden plovers and skylarks are also plentiful, and mockingbirds may be seen occasionally.

THE NATIONAL PARKS

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park are two of more than 180 different areas administered by the National Park Service for your enjoyment. The two areas, Haleakala on Maui and Kilauea-Mauna Loa on Hawaii, were set aside, as one park, by Congress in 1916 mainly because of the three great volcanoes. In July 1961 Haleakala became a separate national park. In recent years the unique flora and fauna found in the parks have become an increasingly important part of the park story. Thus you will find several interesting exhibits at the Kilauea headquarters museum dealing with the ecology of the park with emphasis on the birdlife.

One of the guiding principles for any national park is that all native species of plants and animals are rigidly protected. In places like Hawaii, where so much of the land has been altered through clearing and planting, the park becomes a particularly important sanctuary for birds and other animals. Please help do your share in protecting this area by observing park regulations.

ABOUT THIS BOOKLET

The purpose of this booklet is to help anyone who cares to learn about the birdlife of the national parks in Hawaii. Many of you, here in Hawaii for the first time, will not recognize most of our birds; however, the species are so few (32 described here) that it will not be too hard to narrow your identification to the correct one. The little perching birds are likely to give the most trouble, and the commonest of these are shown on the color plate. You will probably want to refer to the plate first when identifying a small bird. Descriptions in the text refer to similar species also, so if you see a bird that appears somewhat, but not exactly, like one of the illustrations, look up the illustrated species in the text for clues.

Hawaiian names, when known, are used as the common name for each bird, except for species that range elsewhere (e.g., all the sea birds and introduced birds). The A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds has been used as the authority of nomenclature wherever applicable, otherwise the Checklist and Summary of Hawaiian Birds by E. H. Bryan, Jr., has been followed. For every description, length from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail is given in inches. The stated distributions are for the park only and they emphasize accessible places that you are most likely to visit.

The serious bird student will want to have books that include Hawaiian birds outside the park. The latest edition of Peterson’s A Field Guide to Western Birds includes a section on Hawaii and will prove invaluable.

In preparing the text for this booklet frequent reference was made to George C. Munro, 1944, Birds of Hawaii and Hawaii Audubon Society, 1959, Hawaiian Birds. The most important current references for the Hawaiian honeycreeper group are Dean Amadon’s (1950) monograph, The Hawaiian Honeycreepers and Annual Cycle, Environment and Evolution in the Hawaiian Honeycreepers by Paul H. Baldwin (1953). Baldwin, a former Assistant to the Superintendent of Hawaii National Park, has authored several other important papers on birdlife here. The Game Birds in Hawaii by Charles W. and Elizabeth R. Schwartz is an invaluable reference on gamebirds.

The author wishes to acknowledge helpful suggestions made by E. H. Bryan, Jr., of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum; Robert L. Barrel, Robert W. Carpenter, and Robert T. Haugen of Hawaii National Park; and Ronald L. Walker and David H. Woodside of the State Division of Fish and Game. The Bishop Museum generously loaned study specimens for the drawings.

The black and white and color drawings are by Ronald L. Walker, and all photographs are by the author except where noted.

DARK-RUMPED PETREL Pterodroma phaeopygia (Hawaiian name—uau)

DESCRIPTION: 15″. Underparts, forehead, and cheeks, white; back, upper wings, and upper tail, dark. The crown is black.

PARK DISTRIBUTION: This petrel is a sea bird that nests in the mountains of the Hawaiian group; it is the nesting birds that may be seen or heard within the park between May and November. Kilauea—Status unknown; the cliffs of Kilauea Crater may be used for nesting. Haleakala—Many birds nest in the walls of the crater. The cliffs behind Kapalaoa and Holua Cabins are the best places to hear them at night.

VOICE: As the birds fly overhead seeking their burrows after dusk, the air is filled with their strange calls, some of which sound like the barking of a small dog. A common pattern of notes is oooo-wéh, ooo-wéh, oo-wéh, oo-wéh, etc., with the first notes drawn out and the last run together in rapid succession.

Dark-rumped Petrels spend most of their life at sea, but in April and May they begin their nightly flights inland to burrows they have established high on the cliffs of Hawaiian volcanoes. A single egg is laid near the end of the horizontal cavity that may be more than 6 feet deep in the rocks. For the next 6 months the adults will fly in from the ocean each night to tend the nest, arriving about an hour after sundown. It is while they are circling in search of the burrows that you can hear their mysterious barking sounds. The calling may continue for 2 hours or more. Imagine the problems that each petrel must face trying to find its own burrow 20 miles from the ocean on a foggy, moonless night—perhaps the continuous calling back and forth helps orient it. The adults return to the ocean before sunrise.

In the early days nesting birds were common on all the main Hawaiian Islands; however, for a time it was feared that they were becoming extinct. Hawaiians used to dig out the downy young petrels for food, and introduced mongooses and cats also took a heavy toll, especially where nests were at lower elevations. Now, with known breeding colonies high on Haleakala and Mauna Kea and probably on Mauna Loa and Kilauea, the future of this interesting species seems assured.