Manu Minute

Did you know that Hawaiʻi has an endemic species of duck? This native waterfowl, called the Koloa maoli, resemble introduced mallard ducks, but they have a quack all their own. Listen in to this Manu Minute, made with recordings from Xeno Canto.

Male house finches are pro-singers. They can even sing while they're flying!

Though not your standard songbird, the wild turkey's "Gobble Gobble Gobble" has been charting at number one in the bird world for 200 straight Thanksgivings. You can hear the smash hit on today's Manu Minute.

At first glance, it's easy to mistake an ʻalawi for an ʻamakihi. But these little birds have songs that are entirely their own.

Would you look at the beak on that one? That’s right, we’re talking about Java sparrows, who can be recognized by their less-than-dainty beaks. But we’ve also got their lovely calls for you, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

We’ve got a little sandpiper for you today. Its rattling call gives you a clue to its name. With recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Xeno Canto, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo professor Patrick Hart brings you the Manu Minute.

With fewer than 2,000 individuals remaining, ΄ākohekohe are a rare sight. At just over 7 inches, ΄ākohekohe are one of Maui's largest honeycreepers. But their most distinctive features are their white-grey crests just above their beaks.

In spite of their lavish appearance, Indian peafowl are actually quite common. Native to India and Sri Lanka, these birds have been introduced throughout the world. We have their song for you, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

The moaning wedge-tailed shearwater is the star of Manu Minute today, thanks to recordings from the Macaulay Library at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

At just over 5 inches beak to tail, the red-billed leiothrix is small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of your hand. But don't underestimate them — their song packs a punch.

There are a few more weeks to spot the visiting sanderlings, which come to Hawaiʻi every winter. We've got their song for you, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

The palila is the last finch-billed native honeycreeper. These rare birds have all but vanished from the Hawaiian Islands, with the exception of a few small patches of high elevation forest on the west side of Maunakea on Hawai'i Island.

This week, we've got a transplant from the Golden State. University of Hawai'i at Hilo professor Patrick Hart introduces us to the California quail.

The Northern cardinal is the ruby in the crown of any backyard birder. We've got their song, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

On this Manu Minute, we are dishing up a bird that is often seen but not heard. The ‘iwa, or great frigatebird, flies high above our heads, performing acrobatic feats midair. We’ve got the song of this storied seabird today, thanks to Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Here’s a bird everyone will likely be familiar with — it’s the myna! Myna birds are everywhere. (Really, we wish we were kidding.) They’ve been declared one of the world’s worst invasive species. We’ve got their songs for you today, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Few native species in Hawaiʻi are as recognizable as the Nēnē. It's the rarest goose in the world — and a rare conservation success story.

It’s the season to see kioea! These long-billed shorebirds spend their winters here. They’re not too common on the main Hawaiian islands, so we have their call for you from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in today's Manu Minute.

The puaiohi isn't the most eye-catching songbird on the Garden Isle, but it does an important job.

Today, we've got one game bird a long way from home: the Erckel's francolin. Native to Eritrea, Sudan, and Ethiopia, Hawaiʻi is one of only a handful of places you can find an Erckel's francolin outside of Africa.

With barely more than a hundred remaining individuals in the wild, the endemic kiwikiu one of the rarest and most endangered birds in the world. We have their song for you on today's Manu Minute.

We're back to seabirds today! And we've got quite the looker. The koa'e kea is one of the most distinctive birds you can spot in the main Hawaiian islands. Its English name, white-tailed tropicbird, references one of its most notable features — its two long, streaming tail feathers. And you can hear their calls on today's Manu Minute, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornitholog...

Calling all backyard farmers! We're looking at humankind's first alarm clock: the moa, or red junglefowl. Common chickens were likely domesticated from red junglefowl in Asia over 8,000 years ago. We've got both here in Hawaiʻi! Listen to the difference in their crows, thanks to Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, on today's Manu Minute.

Did you know that Hawaiʻi has Northern mockingbirds? This talented songbird is one of the stars of the bird world in North America — it's even the official bird of five different U.S. states. But it admittedly seems out of place in our islands. Our host Patrick Hart will tell you how they got here and how to find them, and we've got a few of their versatile songs for you as well, thanks to the Mac...

We’re back on Big Island today, looking for the native ΄ākepa. And a little bird told us that this vibrant honeycreeper is a favorite of our host, Patrick Hart!