Birds and Plants of Hawaii

The Palila bird is highly vulnerable to weather-relatedannual fluctuations in seed availability. This bird needs a highly specific diet: the fantastic finch-like bill enables it to feed on the seeds of the endemic mamane. The subalpine dry forest habitat of the mamane and palila is one of the most threatened in Hawai'i.

Foto by Jack Jeffrey

A'ali'i ranges in size from one foot shrub to 30 foot high trees.This plant is common in dry and mesic ecosystems on all islands.

Anianiao

This smallest of the native Hawaiian birds is endemic to the island of Kaua'i. There it is relatively widespread in the upland forests, where it is able to tolerate significant habitat disturbance from alien plants.

Foto by Jack Jeffrey

Akohekohe

Alightning on the crimson lehua flowers, the akohekohe of Maui is easily distinguished by its sizable tuft of feathers above the beak. The akohekohe spends most of its time feeding on lehua nectar and is likely one of the tree's most active pollinators

Hesperomannia arbuscula

This endangere plant, related to the daisy family is a member of Hawaii's endemic genus. The pollinator is unknown and is likely extinct, as this unusual flower does not produce seeds. Propagation from cuttings and tissue cultures has been attempted with no success.

Hawai'i Thrush

This is one of the birds found in high elevation forests.
Here it is singing...

Hawai'i Amakihi

In areas where native birds are still found, ohi'a lehua are filled with the sounds of birds such as the i'iwi, amakihi, and apapane seeking out its nectar. The amakihi, one of the most common native forest birds, pictured here, drinking lehua nectar.

Foto by Jack Jeffrey

Elepaio

This is the most sociable of native birds. If you are in a forest it may pearch very near your head. Elepaio is renowned for its mischief and ability to guide people to the best canoe logs. The elepaio is also perhaps the world's most versatile bird in terms of foraging habitat.

Hawai'i Akepa

Akepa is unique among Hawai'i's birds. Endemic to the island of Hawai'i.It also has developed a highly unusual bill. It's lower bill curves to one side, making it asymmetric. This helps it to pry open buds to snare the insects within.

Threats to this beautiful bird's survival comes from mosquito-born avian diseases, pigs, nest prdation by rats, and introduced yellow jackets and ants, which compete with it for prey.

Sam 'Ohukani'ohi'a GonIII, scientist, kahuna, and poet writes:

Ha'alipolipo ka nahele mauka o Waolani e
Ha'aniponipo i ke kawaha ma'ukele
Ha'ale'ale i hali'a aloha e

Gon says,

The hill called Waolani is pointed to as the place from which human beings sprang, and the hill and the theme of creation are linked in that one line. To have experienced such a place and stood in the forest there, how could the heart not be filled with aloha?

Thank you Inda.

There is so much to be done to save the plants and animals on this earth, as we know it today. So many species are endangered, and so many are already extinct.
It needs the effort of every nation, and for that matter, every human being to lend a helping hand to preserve all the natural beauty what is left.

Love,
yoko

Thank you for this very lovely post.

Yoko is right, we all need to do our part to save the natural beauty of our world.

Love,
Vicky

I picked up this image and text from one of your earliest posts, Inda. I hope you don't mind my posting it here?


The Silversword is a very unique plant, only found in Hawaii.


The Hawaiian silversword is an indigenous plant consisting of a rosette of narrow, pointed (swordlike) leaves densely covered by silver hairs that form a sphere. At some point during its life it sends up a spectacular flowering stalk that can reach six feet in height. Each stalk can produce hundreds of maroon sunflowerlike flower heads.

The Haleakala silversword is found in the crater and outer slopes of Haleakala Volcano above the 6,890-ft elevation. The silversword flowers only once, at the end of its lifetime (15-50 years), produces seeds and then dies.

The Mauna Kea silversword found on the slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii tends to differ from the Haleakala silversword in having a longer, narrower flowering stalk, fewer ray flowers, and longer, narrower, and straighter leaves

Thank you for sharing Inda.

Sincerely,
Gisele

Thank you for the lovely post Inda.
Hawaii truly has a great deal of unusually beautiful plants and birds.

I am amazed at you Vicky for finding this image from an old post..thank you.

I love this little one singing

Thank you yoko, Vicky and Sue.

I am very happy that you even remembered my old post and that you added it to this thread Vicky. Silversword is quite a unique plant. Let us hope that it will continue to thrive on the island of Hawaii.

Hawaii really has much natural beauty.

Thank you again.

I had to ad this lovely hibiscus from an earlier post.
It somehow belongs here.

Love,
Vicky

Awesome collection! Would like to have some tips about this photography from all you experienced guys.

Welcome dear Abbi G

A lot of the photos were probably taken with a telescopic lense. It needs some fancy camera to catch little birds from far away. I don't think that our basic digital cameras will zoom in so far?

I am glad that you like these pictures.

Love, Inda
**********

They are just lovely images, I would like to share one of bird pic which I have clicked:

Thank you Albert Hickman for the lovely image.

Here is a little Hawaiian making a lei with plumeria.

Thank you Albert Hickman and welcome.
Your image is a beautiful addition to this thread.

Love,
Vicky



Protea

There are also lots of orchids in Hawaii

What a great collection.

The Maui Creeper is one of the more common birds; found in high elevation forests

This plant, the Kokia cookei would definitely be extinct without the effort of Waimea Arboretum. Three of the four species of this hibiscus family genus, unique to Hawai'i are endangered, and the fourth is extinct.

The Hawaiian Hawk, formerly found on O'ahu, Moloka'i, and Kaua'i; today they remain only on the island of Hawai'i, primarily in forested areas.

King Protea Flower

Protea King flower is an incredibly unique tropical flower . This flower is the largest in the protea family and features a huge white fuzzy center that gently slopes upward to a soft point. Spiky pink petals surrounding the center give it a regal look; from the side it looks like a crown. Leathery green petals cradle the heavy head and a thick stem supports it.

Thank you Inda for these lovely images. Sadly many plants and animals are becoming extinct. Let us enjoy them while we can.

Love,
yoko.

Hopefully the Hibiscus will still survive.

Hibiscus

Thank you yoko.

The Hawaiian crow is no longer found in the wild, but 45 birds are being bred in captivity, with the hope that they can be reintroduced into the wild.

Plumeria can still be found in abundance.

Here is Yellow Plumeria

Akiapola'au has a very unusual multytool beak to allow it to feed on insects hidden in trees.

Torch ginger.

The Kamehameha butterfly is also a victim of modern technology

Crownflower.

Thank you for this beautyiful thread.

I found a Bird of Paradise which I am sure grows on the Islands of Hawaii quite abundantly.

I like all the little birds on page 1 of this thread.
Here is one of them

Thanks for bringing back this nice thread.

I think that pink Plumeria is still quite abundant in Hawaii, and I hope that it stays so.

This is a beautiful thread.I am enjoying the whole topic.
Thank you.