Readers’ wildlife photos

Ed Kroc sent some lovely photos of native Hawaiian birds (not all are limited to the islands):

It’s been a long time since I’ve sent some wildlife photos. But as I just returned from Hawaii, this seems like the perfect time to send some new ones along. I’ll send you two batches: one of native birds, the other of introduced birds.

There are more introduced bird species in the Hawaiian Islands than native ones (about 70 to 50). Of course, it wasn’t always this way. About 40 endemic bird species have gone extinct due to human interference, dating all the way back to when humans first populated the islands 800-1500 years ago. Some entire families are extinct, like Mohoidae which contained 5 species of songbird, and others have been totally decimated, as with the Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanididae). While still an excellent example of adaptive radiation, sadly less than half of the original 50+ species remain, most now critically endangered.

The first bird pictured is one of the lucky ones, an unendangered species of honeycreeper: the ‘Apapane (Himatione sanguinea). These guys love to eat the nectar from the red, filamentous flowers of the ‘Ohi’a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) tree. The picture isn’t the greatest, but you can still make out the characteristic, deep-curved bill. This guy and the next were both photographed in Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

The Black Noddy (Anous minutus), or Noio, is a beautiful seabird that likes to nest in the black lava seacliffs along the south side of the island. These guys are about the size of a large gull. (Incidentally, there are no species of gull that are native to the Hawaiian Islands. Even highly migratory gulls usually stay on the continental shelf, so truly oceanic islands like Hawaii are only visited by ones who lose their way, usually due to a storm or following a ship. Those that make it to the islands rarely stay long.)

Just outside of Hilo, I ran across a couple of endemic Hawaiian Coots (Fulica alai), or ‘Alae Kea, at dusk. As you can see, they are very similar to their American and Eurasian cousins. Unlike those cousins however, only about 3000 Hawaiian Coots remain on the planet.

Next is a Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana), or ‘Ulili, snapped on a black sand beach in Punalu’u. These guys have a great name that captures their two most distinctive behaviours. They are usually the first shorebird to sound the alarm and give away any bipedal primate hoping to just blend in. You can find them across the Pacific.

On the island of Oahu, I encountered two other endemic and endangered species that bear obvious signs of their mainland heritage. The Hawaiian Duck (Anas wyvilliana), or Koloa, is sometimes difficult to tell apart from its Mallard (A. platyrhynchos) cousin. Pictured is a male of the species, who shows only a hint of the classic Mallard-green hood, and is also lacking their solid black and white rump. This species is at risk mainly due to extensive hybridization with introduced Mallards. There seem to be very few pure-blooded populations left.

Next is the iconic Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandvicensis), or Nene, the state bird of Hawaii. While superficially similar to the Canada Goose (B. canadensis), this species is smaller, with a beautiful ruffled neck, and feet that have lost much of the webbing of their mainland relatives. This is a useful adaptation as they need to clamber over rocks far more frequently than through muddy or marshy terrain. They are a very gentle species, lacking the agonistic behaviour of the Canada Goose, as well as that characteristic harsh honking call. In fact, their Hawaiian name is derived from the sound of their soft calls, ne-ne.

The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a common bird throughout much of the world, including Hawaii where it is known as the ‘Auku’u. Not only does the species have an awesome scientific binomial (the “night raven”!), it also looks pretty cool. I can’t decide if this guy is more cute or creepy.

Finally, my personal favourite and the official bird of the city of Honolulu, a few photos of the native White Tern (Gygis alba), or Manu-o-Ku. You can see why this species is also commonly called the Angel Tern. Interestingly, the White Tern nests in trees, but does not ever actually construct a nest. Instead, they lay a single egg in the fork of a branch.

White Terns have adapted surprisingly well to the urban landscape, and several hundred pairs now nest regularly among the trees of downtown Honolulu. The two pairs pictured here seemed to have claimed separate trees as territory. Both trees stand in the middle of a busy street in Waikiki, packed with tourists and taxis. You can even make out a passel of nearby balconies from one of the giant resorts next door in the background of the last photo. I’m always amazed by species that can adapt and thrive in a heavily urban environment.