Wedge-tailed shearwaters are medium-large seabirds that make their homes along the coasts of islands throughout the Pacific and Indian oceans.
In Hawaiʻi, they're called ʻuaʻu kani, and their population is close to 300,000. Most live either on the Northwest Hawaiian Islands or on offshore islets around the main Hawaiian Islands such as Mānana and Moku Manu. However, they have had some success nesting in more urban areas.
Like the noio, fisher-people use the hunting patterns of ʻuaʻu kani to track predatory fish like ahi, aku, and marlin. ʻUaʻu kani don't eat these large fish, but instead feed on the smaller fish like larval goatfish, mackerel scad, and flying fish that predatory fish drive to the surface.
ʻUaʻu kani are known for their low, moaning calls. Take a listen with today's Manu Minute!
Audio credit: R. R. Sheehan/Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML999)
