William W. Dunmire

“ The pattern of population increase for the white-eye has paralleled that of many exotic species. Following their introduction in 1929 the birds were at first slow to increase their range, but in more recent years a population explosion has taken place ... on the Island of Hawaii, at least. It is presently the commonest bird on the island and it seems to have adapted to nearly every habitat. There is every indication that the white-eye, competing for insects with native Hawaiian birds such as the Hawaiian creeper, has virtually eliminated some of the natives from their former habitat. ”

“ Today many of the original island species are extinct, while others are barely managing to hold their own. With more and more land being cleared for agriculture and homesites, virgin forests here are becoming scarce. Thus, protected areas like Hawaii Volcanoes and Haleakala National Parks take on great significance as reserves where the native birds will continue to survive. If you wish to learn about Hawaiian birdlife, you will certainly want to spend some time in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and visit Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui. ”

“ This strange thrush lives in two contrasting habitats within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. In the dense forest you will usually find it singing from its perch part way up an ohia or other tree. But there may be no trees in sight at its other locality which is among the barren lava flows on Mauna Loa. However, there will always be berry bushes nearby—ohelo, pukeawe, or kukaenene; and insects also comprise a part of the diet. The lava flow birds establish day-time roosts on the higher rocks and remain at these sites for long periods, judging from the accumulation of droppings. ”

“ The apapane is likely to be your first introduction to the endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers. While most of Hawaii’s native birds have either become extinct or are greatly reduced in numbers, this species seems to have held its own wherever there are ohia trees to provide a supply of lehua nectar. Examine a cluster of red ohia blossoms. You will find that each tiny cup which bears long bright stamens is filled with honey. A single ohia in full bloom with countless thousands of these nectar-cups must produce many pounds of honey. No wonder one blossoming tree will attract so many honeycreepers. ”

“ Birds such as these are called endemic; they have undergone gradual change over the millennia to become completely new forms, different from any birds found elsewhere.
Many of Hawaii’s endemic species belong to the Hawaiian honeycreeper family (Drepaniidae) and are thought to have evolved from a single bird prototype that possibly arrived here from Central or South America. Explosive bursts of evolutionary change followed, and the resulting new forms did not much resemble each other. Present day park representatives of the Hawaiian honeycreepers include the apapane, iiwi, and amakihi. ”

“ 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 7 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. ”

“ Migration patterns for certain of the sea birds are virtually unknown. Some, like the white-tailed tropic-bird, may remain near the islands throughout the year, while others, such as the dark-rumped petrel, migrate inland only during their breeding season. ”

“ Like the omao these birds often push their wings forward with a rapid shivering motion when confronted by people, probably a type of aggressive action.
Being a member of the Old World flycatcher family, the elepaio is adapted to an insect diet which it gleans from the tree tops to the ground, but mostly in the understory. It often feeds like a creeper, carefully working up or down the trunk of an ohia in search of insect life. There seem to be no seasonal movements; individuals or family groups of two to four birds apparently remain in the same general area throughout the year. ”

“ The leiothrix is strictly a bird of the undergrowth and you are likely to find it wherever there is plenty of bush cover in moist forested areas. Mamake, a Hawaiian nettle, is one of its favorite haunts. If one bird is seen, there are probably several others nearby, and flocks of a dozen or more are common in fall and winter. Fruit, seeds, and insects comprise the food.
These birds have strange migration habits. In the fall and early winter large flocks may suddenly appear at the summit of Haleakala where they stay a short time and then return to lower areas. ”

“ We have no way of knowing what kind of land bird was the first to take up residence here, for that early species has certainly been greatly altered through the workings of evolution. In fact today nearly all the resident native birds are types that are now found nowhere else in the world. ”

“ For years the Hui Manu, a local bird club, was active in releasing new birds on the islands. Game birds constitute another type of introduction. The first to arrive was the California quail more than a hundred years ago. Pheasants and chukars among others have also become established in the park from importations.
THE DECLINE OF NATIVE BIRDS
In no area in the world have native birds fared more poorly than in Hawaii during the past century. The causes of the decimation of numbers and species are probably multiple; certainly no single factor alone can be cited. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Early visitors to the islands described the large flocks of nene geese in the interior of Hawaii, but by 1900 a great decline in numbers had occurred and in 1940 the entire population was estimated at 30 to 50 wild birds. Clearing of the land, introduction of such exotic mammals as rats, pigs, dogs, and mongooses, and man himself through hunting—all must share the blame for the nene decimation. ”

“ While the endemic species have acquired full residence on the islands, other birds live here for only part of the year, usually returning to the north during summer to breed. In the park the best known 4 of these migrants is the American golden plover which spends almost 10 months of the year in Hawaii and only 2 months on its travels to the Aleutian Islands. ”

“ PARK DISTRIBUTION: Kilauea—Common in the more heavily vegetated areas around Kilauea Crater and to the east. Look for it at Kipuka Puaulu. Haleakala—Absent from Maui.
VOICE: A variety of short songs or calls. One is like a “wolf whistle”, a clear wheé-oo (or elepaí-o) . Another is a nasal yeékik. A single wheek as well as short nasal chirps are also common.
The elepaio is probably the friendliest of our native birds. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Although the California quail has been in the islands for a long time, it has not spread much in the park, probably because there is no available open water. In this situation the birds must rely on dewfall, berries, or succulent vegetation for their moisture requirements. They shun heavy forests and do best where small grassy openings are interspersed with dense brush thickets. ”

“ Large flocks were formerly recorded inland as far as Kilauea Crater. Haleakala—Absent from the park.
VOICE: A rapidly repeated chut-a-chut.
A flock of 8 or 10 turnstones will behave almost as though it was controlled by one mind: in flight they dip and turn precisely together; when they land it is a simultaneous action. The name turnstone comes from their habit of flipping over small rocks with their bills to get at the insects and other lower forms of life beneath. ”

“ Seeds arrived by various means from distant lands, and one by one new kinds of plants began to grow on the volcanoes—at first only a few primitive types could get a foothold on the barren lava, but in time those early plants decayed and combined with the basalt rock to produce a soil that could support a complex vegetation. ”

“ On the other hand, the clearing of land, which began early in the 1800’s, must have had a devastating effect on those birds that had become so specialized—they simply were forced into new environments and were unable to adapt. The introduction of new plants, especially grasses, and the establishment of feral mammals (goats, sheep, and pigs) , and insects played a subtle but possibly even more destructive role in altering the over-all environment.
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Introduction of exotic birds must have been the final blow to many of the native species. ”

“ Kilauea—Common at Park Headquarters, around other human habitations, and to the south especially around Hilina Pali. Occasional in the Kau Desert. Haleakala—A few live around the Park Headquarters area in the summer months but they descend to lower elevations in winter.
VOICE: A raucous mixture of squawks, mews, and chirrs not likely to be mistaken for any other bird.
For a bird that prefers to live around human habitations, the mynah is extremely wary of people—probably with good reason, for among the imported birds the mynah has never been particularly well loved. ”

“ It tends to be tamer than mainland hawks, perhaps because it has not been harassed as much in recent years, and sometimes you can approach a perched io quite closely. Because of its rodent diet, the io is a very beneficial bird to Hawaii. ”

“ These secretive birds seem to make a vertical migration to Kilauea from the east each summer. They are rarely observed in the park during winter months, but that may be due to their lack of song in the non-breeding season. In summer you will probably hear several before seeing even one, as they are wary and keep to the underbrush, moving about very little. ”

“ Now it is known that birds living on the flows will build their nests on ledges within deep horizontal lava cracks, especially in collapsed lava tubes, while the forest birds are said to nest in trees. ”

“ PARK DISTRIBUTION: Formerly abundant in Hawaii and probably Maui. Now extinct on Maui, while a few wild birds remain on Hawaii. Kilauea—Occasionally seen on the slopes of Mauna Loa usually between 6,000 and 7,500 feet.
VOICE: Various thin, creaky notes. Often gives a high-pitched honking in flight.
Because of recent studies, the habits of the nene are probably better understood than those of any other native Hawaiian bird. The most amazing 14 thing about their life is the way they have forsaken water in favor of rough, clinkery lava. ”

“ It is easily overlooked, since it usually remains fairly quiet when you first approach, but 27 if you pause for a few moments in the wet fern jungle, one or more of these birds are likely to appear. They seem very inquisitive as they hop about in the low underbrush, often within a few feet of an observer, and they cock their tails high whenever they alight. ”

“ The trip requires about 48 hours, spent mostly over the open ocean. When they arrive in Hawaii in the fall, individuals seem to establish remarkably small territories—one bird may live during its entire stay here in an area not much bigger than a large lawn. ”