Category Archives: Birds

Radio-controlled nene?

Two nenes stand in a puddle with some myna birds
Two nenes with identifying tags
A nene with a tracking device on its back

I saw these two nenes sharing a puddle with some myna birds alongside the runway at Upolu Airport. A closer view (second photo) shows the identifying tags on the birds’ legs. These are the same two birds that had a gosling in this location last year, which I posted about here.

The third photo reveals a box on the back of the male of this couple. This is a tracking device that was placed on the bird by the East Hawai’i Division of Forestry and Wildlife. They track the birds to help them understand their behaviors and movements. I thought it looked a bit big, but the bird didn’t seem bothered by it.

I had written here, ‘In due course, and probably after not too long a time, the box will fall off and the bird will be unencumbered again.’ but then I saw this pair again yesterday and the box was still there. On the plus side, both birds continued to look in great condition.

Red junglefowl

A Red junglefowl in Hawaii
A Red junglefowl in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Fur and Feathers.’ See more responses here.

This bird is probably a red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) or Moa in Hawaii. I say probably, because some regular chickens (Gallus domesticus) can have a similar look and there is considerable interbreeding between the two species.

The red junglefowl is considered to be the first introduced bird species in Hawaii, since it was brought here by early Polynesian settlers.

Parrot bench

A bench at Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens in Hilo, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Indoor/Outdoor Decor.’ See more responses here.

I don’t have a lot of ‘decor’ photos, but I think this sort of fits the bill. It’s one of several fun benches at Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo. Probably less fun to sit in, but you can’t have everything!

Also posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – Blue/Bright.’ See more responses here.

Java sparrows in a plumeria

A pair of java sparrows in a plumeria tree
A pair of java sparrows in a plumeria tree

This pair of Java sparrows was easy to see flitting about in the bare branches of a plumeria tree. Plumerias start out this way before flowers bud and bloom. Leaves are the last to show.

Java sparrows are a favorite of mine, for their perky nature, bold marking, and those pink legs and beak.

Posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – In the Pink.’ See more responses here.

Red-masked parakeets

Red-masked parakeets at Kohanaiki Beach Park.
A Red-masked parakeet at Kohanaiki Beach Park.

I’ve lived in Hawaii for more than nine years now and had previously never seen any of those most tropical of birds, the parrots. One reason for this is that parrots aren’t native to Hawaii, but a variety of different parrots have become established here.

Red-masked parakeets were first seen here in 1988 and are probably the most common parrot on the Big Island. They’re natives of Ecuador and Peru, but are now fairly well established on the Kona coast, which is where I saw this a pair, in Kohanaiki Beach Park. While they forage along the coast here, they roost high up on the slopes of Hualalai Volcano.