Part 9

VOICE: A rapid, disjointed warbling song, usually lasting several seconds. Note: one or a series of chirps, more musical than that of the house sparrow.

This is strictly a social species living in flocks ranging in size from a few birds to 20 or more. On the Island of Hawaii the introduced house finch has adapted well to a habitat that is presently unoccupied by any native resident—the dry grassy regions of the Kau Desert and along Hilina Pali.

On the mainland house finches are reddish; the same is true for most Kilauea birds. However, at Haleakala the usual color of the male is yellow or orange. It seems likely that diet, which is known to affect pigmentation in bird plumage, rather than heredity, is the cause of this difference.

OTHER BIRDS

Accidentals

From time to time various sea and other birds passing over the island or blown inland during a storm may be observed in either park. In recent years such accidentals have included:

Red-footed booby (Sula sula): one record, Kilauea (1959). Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus): seen at Kilauea during 1961. Red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius): one record, Kilauea (1949). Gray-backed tern (Sterna lunata): one record, Kilauea (1959).

Formerly Recorded

Several native birds that were formerly found within the park have not been recorded in recent years. They include:

Hawaiian crow (Corvus tropicus): This, the only crow here and endemic to the Island of Hawaii, formerly occurred within the park. One recent Kilauea record (1940).

Akepa (Loxops coccinea): A tiny (4½″) bird. Male: Red-orange with no white markings. Female: Green above and yellow below. Still occurs in the koa forests northeast of the Mauna Loa Strip. Last park record was over 20 years ago.

Akiapolaau (Hemignathus wilsoni): 5½″. Like the amakihi but with a long, curved upper mandible overlapping the short straight lower bill. Used to be a permanent resident of the koa kipukas along the Mauna Loa Strip, but has not been observed within the park for several years.

Parrot-billed koa finch (Pseudonestor xanthophrys): 5½″. A yellowish parrotlike bird with a heavy hooked beak that formerly occurred in Kaupo Gap at Haleakala. Last record, a few miles outside the park, was in 1950.

Status Uncertain

Game birds are sometimes released by the State Division of Fish and Game near the park, but they do not always become established. A recent release (June 1960) just outside the park boundary near Headquarters at Haleakala was the Erckel’s Francolin (Francolinus erckelii). This large chickenlike partridge can be recognized by its rusty-red crown. It is not yet known whether the birds will reproduce and become established.

INDEX

A Acknowledgements 9 Acridotheres tristis 27 Akepa 34 Akekeke 20 Akiapolaau 34 Alauda arvensis 22 Alectoris graeca 16 Amakihi 3, 5, 7, 28, Plate Anoüs tenuirostris 20 Apapane 3, 5, 6, 7, 29, 30, 31, 32, Plate Arenaria interpres 20 Asia flammeus 22

B Bird Park 6 Booby, red-footed 34 Branta sandvicensis 13 Buteo solitarius 15

C Cardinal 4, 6, 33, Plate Carpodacus mexicanus 33 Chain of Craters Road 18, 21, 28 Chasiempsis sandwichensis 26 Chukar 7, 16 Corvus tropicus 34 Crater Rim Drive 5, 18 Creeper, Hawaiian 29 Crow, Hawaiian 34

D Dove barred 21, 22 Chinese 21 laceneck 21 spotted 21 Drepaniidae 3

E Elepaio 3, 6, 26, Plate Endemics 3 Exotics 4

F Fern jungle 2, 5, 6 Finch house 6, 7, 33, Plate parrot-billed koa 34 Francolin, Erckel’s 34 Francolinus erckelii 34

G Geopelia striata 22 Goose, Hawaiian 13

H Haleakala National Park 7, 8 Halemaumau 6, 12 Halape 20 Hawaiian Islands 3 Hawaiian Honeycreepers 3 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 8 Hawk, Hawaiian 6, 15 Hemignathus wilsoni 34 Heteroscelus incanum 20 Hilina Pali 12, 21, 22, 27, 33 Hill robin, Japanese 24 Himatione sanguinea 30 Holua Cabin 11, 12 Hosmer Grove 7, 28, 30 Hui Manu 4

I Iiwi 3, 5, 6, 7, 29, 31, Plate Io 3, 6, 15

K Kalapana—Kalapana Road 21, 22 Kapalaoa Cabin 11 Kau Desert 12, 27, 32, 33 Kaupo Gap 34 Kilauea Crater 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 26, 28 Kilauea Iki 6, 15 Kilauea Volcano 5 Kipuka Nene 16 Kipuka Puaulu 1, 6, 26, 33 Koae 11 Kolea 19 Kona Coast 22

L Leiothrix lutea 24 Leiothrix, red-billed 6, 24, 33, Plate Linnet 33 Lophortyx californicus 15 Loxops coccinea 34 maculata 29 virens 28

M Malaria, avian 5, 24 Makaopuhi Crater 15 Mauna Kea 11 Mauna Loa—Mauna Loa Strip 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32 Mejiro 27 Mimus polyglottus 24 Mockingbird 7, 24 Munia nisoria 32 Mynah 4, 27, Plate