Home= =20
Introduction=20
Primary=20 Checklist=20
Hypothetical=20 List=20
Non-established=20 List=20
Breeding=20 Seabirds=20
Christmas=20 Counts=20
Synonymies=20 (PDF)=20
Abbreviations=20 (PDF)=20
Acknowledgments=20
Literature=20 Cited (PDF)=20
Re= sources=20

The Birds of the Hawaiian Islands:
Occurrence, History, Distribution, and Status

Robert L. Pyle and Peter Pyle

Introduction

The avifauna of the Hawaiian Islands has long interested = ornithologists and=20 systematicists alike, and there have been several compilations or = checklists of=20 all known birds in Hawaii, beginning with four treatments within a = five-year=20 period at the turn of the twentieth century (Wilson and Evans 1899, = Rothschild=20 1900, Henshaw 1902, Perkins 1903). Following a long period of little = published=20 record-keeping, Robert L. Pyle developed and maintained a checklist of = Hawaiian=20 Birds from 1977 to 2002 (Pyle 1977-2002). This website represents a = continuation=20 of this work, providing an official checklist of accepted records of = birds for=20 the Hawaiian Islands. It also includes checklists for each Northwestern = and=20 Southeastern Hawaiian Island group, as well as a list of hypothetical = species=20 and a list of non-native species that have been observed in the wild in = Hawaii=20 but have not established viable breeding populations. This checklist = includes=20 all species recorded in the Hawaiian Islands through 2009.

Species taxonomy and order follow that of the = American=20 Ornithologist's Union Checklist (AOU 1998) as updated by supplements = through=20 2009 (Auk 126:705-714), except in a few instances as justified in the = species=20 accounts (see also below regarding possessive suffixes and okinas). = Species=20 placed on the Primary=20 Checklist for the Hawaiian Islands include indigenous breeding = species,=20 migratory species occurring regularly or as vagrants, and non-native = species=20 that have established viable and stable or increasing populations for at = least=20 15 years. Occurrence of pelagic species are accepted if they were = observed=20 within 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) of mean high tide-lines of Hawaiian = islands, in accordance with the definition of the Exclusive Economic = Zone, and=20 as used as a standard for bird checklists in North America (see AOU 1998 = and=20 CBRC 2007). Pre-contact species known only in the fossil or subfossil = record are=20 not included, although all genera of these species are listed in = detailed=20 species accounts under most-closely related species or genera.

Decisions on the acceptability of species = for the=20 Primary Checklist were performed by the authors with similar rigor to = that=20 performed by the California Bird Records Committee (see CBRC 2007), on = which the=20 junior author has served for over 17 years. These generally conservative = standards have resulted in some long-accepted species being placed on = the Hypothetical=20 List due to documentation that does not unequivocally establish = the=20 identification of the species. All but eight migratory and one = non-native=20 species on the Primary Checklist have been documented by either specimen = or=20 photograph clearly eliminating all other species, and the eight species=20 documented by sight-record only contain at least two records by = observers that=20 are familiar with the species and have provided written details which = adequately=20 rule out other species.

Acceptance to island or island group, as presented in the = Northwestern=20 and = Southeastern=20 Hawaiian Island Checklists, was performed somewhat more lax standards = than those=20 used for acceptance to the Primary Checklist for the Hawaiian Islands = overall;=20 however, many records documenting island occurrence contain little or no = documentation and were regarded as unsubstantiated.

Detailed Species Accounts

Detailed species accounts have been compiled for each species and can = be=20 accessed by clicking "pdf" in the Primary Checklist or Hypothetical = List.

English names follow those of the AOU (1998) and supplements except = that the=20 possessive suffixes ('s ) are omitted from names honoring a person, a = convention=20 argued by the senior author for years, and the Hawaiian okina (') is = used for=20 Hawaiian-language names. Other names are indicated, including those = recognized=20 by the AOU prior to taxonomic or nomenclatural revisions (along with an=20 indication of the year in which the change was made), English names for=20 indigenous Hawaiian subspecies, and Native Hawaiian names for = species.

Subspecies assessments are indicated at the top of each detailed = account for=20 species in the Primary Checklist, and more information can be found in = the=20 bodies of the accounts. Many species are listed as = "monotypic"=20 indicating that no subspecies are recognized. For remaining (polytypic) = species=20 all subspecies documented or recognized as occurring in the Hawaiian = Islands are=20 listed, assessments for migratory and non-native species being based on=20 examination of specimens and photographs with regard to likelihood of=20 occurrence. In some instances subspecific designations could not be = assigned;=20 these are listed with "subspecies?" or with a probable=20 subspecies designation followed by a question mark.

Most native resident species were given multiple scientific names in = the=20 early literature, and some names continue to be revised as relationships = become=20 more understood. We have provided Synonymies=20 for these species to help cross-reference scientific names at various = times in=20 the literature to the species as currently recognized.

Each species is categorized by status of occurrence in the Hawaiian = Islands.=20 Primary categories along with sub-categories include:

native residents include species that arrived or = evolved in=20 the Hawaiian Islands naturally without human assistance, typically = before the=20 time of Captain Cook=E2=80=99s visit in 1778. Birds of this category do = not normally=20 leave the islands. Sub-categories of native residents include

endemic: endemic (native) species, not extinct=20
endemic subspecies: endemic = subspecies=20 of an indigenous species=20
extinct: endemic species or subspecies deemed = extinct=20
indigenous: indigenous but not endemic species=20
endangered or threatened: taxa = on the=20 Federal Endangered Species List; "(state)" indicates taxa listed by = the State=20 of Hawaii but not on the federal list.

non-native residents include species brought to the = Hawaiian=20 Islands under human restraint after 1778 (except for one species brought = by=20 Polynesians), that were released or escaped to the wild and have become=20 established as self-sustained breeding populations for at least 15 = years. Birds=20 of this category do not normally leave the Hawaiian Islands. = Sub-categories of=20 non-native residents include

long established: established as a = self-sustaining=20 population before the 1940s=20
recently established: established as a = self-sustaining=20 population after the 1940s=20
extirpated: formerly established but non-native=20 populations gone

Many introductions of non-native birds to Hawaii have been = purposeful, for=20 reasons or perceived reasons of insect or mammal control (primarily = 1800s to=20 1940s by HBAF), recreational hunting (primarily 1930-1970s by HDFG and = DLNR),=20 and aesthetic reasons (primarily 1930s-1940s), whereas other = introductions have=20 arisen from escaped cagebirds (throughout 1900s). See Foster (2009) for = a review=20 of bird introductions to Hawaii. Many non-native birds were introduced = to the=20 Hawaiian Islands by Honolulu Mejiro Club and the Hui Manu=20 Society, groups of primarily well-to-do members of Honolulu = society=20 during the late 1920s to early 1960s that wanted to introduce colorful = and/or=20 melodious songbirds to the islands for aesthetic purposes. By the 1920s = most or=20 all native landbirds had become extirpated from lowland regions, leaving = "silent=20 gardens" or those filled only with "unappealing" species such as doves, = mynas,=20 House Finches, and House Sparrows. Tens of thousands of songbirds were = imported=20 from all over the world, with peak importation occurring in 1929-1936. = An=20 adjunct of these introductions was the "Buy-a-Bird Campaign", during = which=20 school children raised money to import birds from O'ahu to Hawai'i I = (Locey=20 1937, Berger 1975a, Foster 2009). During the later 1940s to early 1960s = DLNR=20 began to put restrictions on the introduction of songbirds and the Hui = Manu=20 shifted focus to conservation-oriented projects, the last sponsored = introduction=20 being of Mariana Swiftlets in 1962. Established introductions since the = early=20 1960s (and a few before this, dating back to around 1900) resulted from = escaped=20 cage birds, originating primarily from Honolulu. See Locey (1938), = Moulton and=20 Pimm (1983), and Pyle (1995) for more on the introduction of birds to = Hawaii and=20 on the Hui Manu Society.

breeding visitors include species that naturally = occur and=20 breed in the Hawaiian Islands, but individuals depart breeding colonies = or sites=20 to inhabit the open ocean when not breeding. Sub-categories of breeding = visitors=20 include

endemic: a species that breeds only in the = Hawaiian=20 Islands=20
endemic subspecies: a subspecies that breeds only = in the=20 Hawaiian Islands=20
indigenous: an indigenous species and/or = subspecies that=20 also breeds elsewhere

non-breeding visitors include species that breed in = North=20 America, Asia, or elsewhere and migrate to the Hawaiian Islands when not = breeding. Sub-categories of non-breeding visitors include

winter visitor: occurs in the Hawaiian Islands = primarily=20 as a successful winter resident although some individuals may be = migrants (see=20 migrant)=20
migrant: occurs in the Hawaiian Islands primarily = as a=20 passage migrant although some individuals may over-winter (see winter = visitor)=20
vagrant: occurs in the Hawaiian Islands as an = accidental=20 straggler=20
common: widespread migrant to Hawaiian Islands in = good=20 numbers=20
regular: migrant to the Hawaiiand Islands in = small=20 numbers in most or all years=20
occasional: migrant to the Hawaiian Islands in = small=20 numbers in some years

Information in the accounts is widely cited by reference to = publications in=20 the scientific or popular literature, or to specimens housed in one of = many=20 Museums in North America, Europe, or elsewhere (see Abbreviations=20 page for museum acronyms). The journals 'Elepaio (abbreviated in = accounts with=20 E) and American Birds and its successors=20 (AB, AFN,=20 FN, and NAB; see below = and Abbreviations=20 page) form a source for many cited references. The SIGHTINGS Database = and=20 Archive were created by the senior author and are archived and = maintained by the=20 Occurrence and Status of Birds in Hawaii volunteer project at Bishop = Museum,=20 Honolulu. The Database and Archive of original written reports are the = source of=20 all uncited observations in the species accounts, and also contain most = of those=20 cited elsewhere. Bird observations submitted spontaneously or solicited = for the=20 quarterly Hawaiian Islands Region reports, beginning 1977 in American = Birds, and=20 continuing through Audubon Field Notes, Field Notes and North American = Birds,=20 form the bulk of the 100,000+ records in the SIGHTINGS database; the = remainder=20 comes from significant material drawn from earlier literature and museum = specimen records. Descriptive notes supporting records are included in = the=20 Archive.

Hawaii Waterbird Surveys

Hawaii Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DoFAW) Waterbird Surveys = have=20 been conducted sporadically since 1955 and biannually since 1986 and = form the=20 source for many waterbird records. These include standardized counts of = all=20 wetland areas on six of the eight Southeastern Hawaiian Islands; no = counts have=20 been performed on Kaho'olawe and only sporadic aerial-based counts have = been=20 conducted on Ni'ihau since 1986. Data collected during counts in = 1986-2009 are=20 stored in the Hawaii Waterbird Database maintained by DoFAW and the = Hawaii=20 Biodiversity Mapping Program (HBMP) and we thank DOFAW and HBMP for = providing us=20 with the database.

Minimum Numbers of Individuals

For regular and occasional non-breeding visitor species, minimum = numbers of=20 known individuals that have reached the Hawaiian Islands have been = calculated.=20 These calculations start with an examination of the data to see if=20 over-wintering individuals appear to return regularly to locations = between=20 breeding seasons (e.g., they migrate back to continental breeding areas = and=20 return to Hawaiian wintering grounds annually). If it is one of these = species=20 (which typically include ducks and shorebirds), then records on a = per-island=20 basis are assumed to be returning individuals provided that age or = individual=20 markings are consistent with the same individual's being involved. If it = is not=20 one of these types of species (typically including gulls and terns), = then each=20 record between seasons counts toward the minimum as a separate = individual. On=20 each particular island, minimum counts further take into account as much = information as possible based on all observational data.

Christmas Count Data

More-recent trends in the occurrence of many bird species in Hawaii = have been=20 inferred by data collected during Christmas Bird Counts, an = International=20 program sponsored by the National Audubon Society during which counts = are=20 performed annually in standardized areas throughout the Americas. Graphs = using=20 data collected through 2007 have been prepared based on five Christmas = Counts=20 that have extended consistently for at least 20 consecutive years, at = Kapa'a=20 (1971-2007) and Lihue (1972-1992) on Kaua'i, Waipi'o (1977-2007) and = Honolulu=20 (1944-2007) on O'ahu, and Volcano (1972-2007; also 1954-1955, 1967) on = Hawai'i=20 Island. Species were selected based on observations of at least 70 = individuals=20 during at least 13 years of the count, and graphs were prepared for = species with=20 trends or cyclic patterns. Regressions were performed on number of birds = observed per party hour against year, and significant trends (based on = P <=20 0.05) are reported for species that were recorded throughout the = time frame=20 of the count. See the Chris= tmas=20 Count List for more details and links to graphs. Counts have also = been=20 performed at Hilo, Hawai'i I (1937-1940, 1962); Waimea, Kaua'i (1968, = 1971,=20 1973-1977, 1982, 1985-1995, 1997-2007), Pawa'inui, Kaua'i (1973); = Honolulu to=20 Ma'alea (Maui) and Kona (Hawai'i I) on a hydroplane passenger boat = (1975-1977);=20 Pu'u O Kali, Maui (1978-1979), Pu'u O Kaka'e, Maui (1987-1992, = 1996-2004, 2007);=20 North Kona, Hawai'i I (1988-1990, 1997-2001, 2006-2007); Kualapu'u, = Moloka'i=20 (1989-1990, 1997-2007); I'ao Valley, Maui (1999-2004, 2007). We thank = Geoff=20 LeBarron for help obtaining Christmas Count data.

Hawaii Forest Bird Survey (HFBS)

Substantial information on the status and abundance of resident = forest birds=20 in the Hawaiian Islands was obtained during the U.S. Fish and Wildlife = Service'=20 Hawaii Forest Bird Survey (HFBS) in 1977-1981 (Scott et al. 1986). = Transects=20 were established and surveyed 2 km apart throughout forested highlands = of=20 Hawai'i Island (in 1977-1979), Moloka'i (1979-1980), Maui (1980), Lana'i = (1980),=20 and Kaua'i (1981). Bird densities by elevation and habitat type (as = based on=20 detailed vegetational surveys performed along the transects) were = calculated and=20 population estimates for survey areas of each of these five islands were = obtained (Scott et al. 1986). Several large parcels of land were secured = as=20 conservation areas or refuges based on the data collected during the = HBFS, and=20 ensuing management actions to protect endangered native Hawaiian forest = birds=20 have relied on information from this survey. Our accounts of forest = birds have=20 incorporated much HBFS information as well. =

Photog= raphic=20 Documentation

All photographs submitted as part of record documentation have been = archived=20 in the Hawaii Rare Bird Documentary Photograph (HRBP) File, maintained = by the=20 Occurrence and Status of Birds in Hawaii volunteer project at Bishop = Museum,=20 Honolulu. This file was established in 1977 (see =E2=80=98Elepaio = 37:101) to solicit and=20 archive photographs of vagrant and uncommon migrant bird species as=20 documentation for their occurrence in the Hawaiian Islands. The HRBP = file=20 includes few images of resident birds but is set up to include = photographs or=20 images of interest for all species, and more images of general interest = will be=20 added for future versions. Images receive HRBP numbers in ascending = serial=20 order: HRBP 0001 through numbers in the 1400's indicates those acquired = on film,=20 and HRBP 5000 and up were acquired electronically. The HRBP number = remains=20 permanently with its image and with any copies made from it including = scans or=20 printings to another medium. HRBP images are cited in species accounts = as "(HRBP=20 number)", with "HRBP" forming a link to the photo page of the = species.

All HRBP photographs and images can also be accessed by clicking = "photos" in=20 the Primary Checklist or Hypothetical List. Clicking on the thumbnail = image will=20 produce an enlarged image. The HRBP pages include information on the = species,=20 date, location and photographer for each image. Occasional slides or = prints in=20 the 0001-1400's series were assigned numbers but the photographs were = not=20 available at the time when they were scanned for this website. These are = included and marked with "photo missing" to indicate that a photograph = exists;=20 we are in the process of acquiring these missing photographs.

Acknowledgments

Literature=20 Cited

Version 1 completed Dec 2009 and will not be updated for content = until=20 Version 2 is posted (typos and bad links may be fixed). Plans are to = complete=20 Version 2 sometime in 2011-2013, with further updated versions to be = completed=20 every 2-4 years thereafter. Comments, errors, typos, bad links, updated=20 information, any other suggestions: Please contact Peter Pyle at=20 ppyle@bishopmuseum.org.

Citation: Pyle, R.L., and P. Pyle. 2009. The Birds of the Hawaiian = Islands:=20 Occurrence, History, Distribution, and Status. B.P. Bishop Museum, = Honolulu, HI,=20 U.S.A. Version 1 (31 December 2009)=20 http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph

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