Manu Minute

We've got two new birds for you today: the red-crested cardinal and the yellow-billed cardinal. We get to hear both of their songs, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Can you tell the difference?

Have you ever seen an ΄alae ke΄oke΄o? It’s our endemic coot! It can be found in wetlands throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Despite its widespread territory, its small population numbers can make this bird hard to find. But we’ve got its call for you today, courtesy of the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Kalij pheasants take the spotlight in this brand new Manu Minute. These flashy game birds have been strutting their stuff around the Hawaiian Islands since the 1960s. With recordings from the Macaulay Library of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, our host Patrick Hart walks through how these pheasants' breeding behavior has adapted since their arrival on our shores.

Want to get into bird watching, but don’t know where to start? How about the International Marketplace in Waikīkī? Today's Manu Minute was made with recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

We've talked about the velvety-black 'alalā before on Manu Minute. But today we have some exciting news to share! Two of these incredibly rare endemic birds — named Loli'ana and Pano Pau — now have a home at the Pana'ewa Zoo in Hilo.

We look to the skies in search of a sleek endemic raptor that symbolizes royalty. In this week’s Manu Minute, we learn about Hawai‘i’s only native hawk. And thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology for bringing us its song! University of Hawai‘i at Hilo professor Patrick Hart introduces us to the ‘io.

Move over, plover — there’s a new shorebird in town. Thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, we’ve got the song of the ˊŪlili for you! These indigenous birds recently packed up for the long flight across the Pacific for their mating season, but they’ll be back in August. In today’s Manu Minute, University of Hawaii at Hilo professor Patrick Hart tells us how to kee...

Boobies are a group of goose-size tropical seabirds with long pointed bills, wings, and tails. There are three species of boobies that nest in Hawai‘i—the red-footed, brown, and masked.

Have you ever noticed those flocks of finches with bright red eye-masks hanging out in grassy fields? This week, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo professor Patrick Hart introduces you to the tiny waxbill...common but very eye-catching. This Manu Minute was made with field recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

The streets of Downtown Honolulu might not be the first place you'd think to bird watch, but at least one very special bird calls this city home: the indigenous manu-o-Kū, also known as the white tern. Today's Manu Minute was made with recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Saffron finches are native to South America and were introduced to the islands around 1965. Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for today's field recordings.

ʻAukuʻu like a hardy meal. They are keen foragers and will hunt fish, insects, frogs, mice, and even young water bird chicks. Scientists have also observed ʻaukuʻu exhibit a clever form of "tool use"; if night herons are in busy areas where people feed ducks bread, they will often take pieces of bread and lure in the fish with the “bait.” Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Labor...

'Akikiki, also known as Kaua'i creepers, are an endangered forest bird endemic to the island of Kaua'i.

Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for today's field recordings. Mōlī, or Laysan albatrosses, breed in large numbers across the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, with nearly a million birds counted on Midway island alone.

Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for today's field recordings. So how does a bird that's barely the size of an apple banana from the opposite side of the world make it to Hawai'i? Oh, the usual way.

Hawai'i 'elepaio are native species of Flycatcher - as their name suggests, they spend most of their time catching flies and other tasty insects "on the wing," or midflight.

The ae'o, also known as kūkuluae'o, or Hawaiian stilt, is an endangered waterbird found only in the Hawaiian islands.

Let's be honest — a black crow is not a typical mascot for a tropical paradise. But the native 'alalā, or Hawaiian crow, is deeply intertwined with the ecosystem of Hawai'i.

Special thanks to Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for today's field recordings. Since they often roost on cliffs and forage close to shore, Noio, or Hawaiian black noddies, are one of the most commonly seen seabirds in Hawai'i. But birdwatching for Noio isn't just a pleasant afternoon activity — it can also provide critical information about the landscape.

Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for today's bird song. Kōlea, or Pacific golden-plovers, are considered indigenous and spend their winters in the main Hawaiian islands (as well as other tropical and coastal areas). By the end of April, most Kōlea migrate up to Alaska to feast on abundant food resources and to breed.

The 'akeke'e is a critically endangered native bird that is endemic to Kaua'i. Like many other honeycreepers, they can only be found in high elevation forests, where cool temperatures ward off mosquito populations.

The State Department of Agriculture introduced Cattle egrets to Hawai'i in 1959 in order to control fly populations that were harassing cattle herds. But like the non-native Barn owl, the Cattle egret's introduction has had some unintended consequences for native bird species. Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for use of their field recordings in today's Manu...

Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for use of their recordings in today's Manu Minute. The pueo is diurnal, so the best time to spot one is during daylight hours. If you see an owl hunting at night, it is likely an introduced Barn owl.

The Kauaˊi ˊōˊō was once commonplace. Its melodic call of oo-oo, for which it is named, could be heard throughout the subtropical forests of the Garden Isle into the early twentieth century. But by the 1980s, only a single pair of Kauaˊi ˊōˊō remained. Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for use of their recordings in today's Manu Minute.

The warbling white-eye is a non-native bird that was introduced to the Hawaiian islands from Japan in the 1920s and '30s. Over the last century, they've become the most abundant bird in the entire state.