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Manu Minute
Wednesdays
Hosted by Patrick Hart

Need a break in your day? Whether you're in your car or still in bed, Manu Minute brings you rich sounds from Hawai'i's native forests and shorelines. Each week, we feature a different Hawaiʻi bird and its unique song, and talk about its environment and conservation.

Trying to identify a bird? Call us on The Conversation's talkback line at 808-792-8217 with your name, your location and your email.

Manu Minute is a collaboration between HPR and the LOHE Bioacoustics Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. The series is hosted by Patrick Hart, the lab's principal investigator, and produced by HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote and UH Hilo's Ann Tanimoto-Johnson.

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  • Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse are sexually dimorphic in their plumage. Males are sandy brown-colored with a thin black breast band and chestnut-colored belly, while females are sandy brown with black bars on their backs and mottled neck plumage. Can you identify which is which in the above photo?
    Manu Minute: The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse
    Thanks to Xeno Canto, we've got the calls of a desert gamebird that makes its home on Hawaiʻi Island. University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo professor Patrick Hart introduces us to the chestnut-bellied sandgrouse.
  • Rose-ringed parakeets are bright, emerald green birds with orange-red hooked bills and long, pointed tails. Males have red or black neck rings, hence their name.
    Manu Minute: The rose-ringed parakeet
    Pets to pests… On this week’s Manu Minute, we’ve got the songs, or rather squawks of the introduced rose-ringed parakeet. That’s courtesy of recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
  • The inconspicuous Japanese bush warbler has a melodious song that signifies the beginning of spring.
    Manu Minute: The shy Japanese bush warbler
    Hawaiʻi is the only place in the world where Japanese bush warblers have become established outside their natural range. You can hear their song on today's Manu Minute, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
  • The white-rumped shama earns its name from the distinctive white spot just above its tail feathers.
    Manu Minute: The well-named white-rumped shama
    Folks on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Maui can keep their eyes wide and ears out for the sight or sound of the lovely white-rumped shama. We have its song on today's Manu Minute, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
  • Zebra doves usually mate for life. Males draw attention to themselves during mating season by incessantly bowing, cooing, and flaring their tail feathers.
    Manu Minute: The zebra dove
    The coo coo coo-ing call of the zebra dove is likely familiar to anyone who's ever waited outside for the bus, stopped to rest on a park bench, or enjoyed a picnic on a sunny day. Take a listen, courtesy of the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  • Chinese hwamei are roughly the same size as cardinals. Their plumage is rusty brown save for distinctive white bands around their eyes. Their most notable feature, however, has to be their lovely song.
    Manu Minute: The melodious laughingthrush
    Not all birds like their names. But you'll hear no complaints from the melodious laughingthrush.
  • Koloa maoli, Hawaiˊi's endemic duck species, served as guides for the legendary blind warrior king Imaikalini.
    Manu Minute: Hawaiʻi's endemic duck
    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.
  • House finches are medium-sized birds that weigh about the same as a handful of paperclips. They are sexually dimorphic — male house finches have distinctive bright yellow or red feathers around their faces and chests.
    Manu Minute: The multi-colored house finch
    Male house finches are pro-singers. They can even sing while they're flying!
  • Wild turkeys have iridescent black-brown plumage. Wild turkeys mostly eat tender green plant shoots, as well as various seeds, fruits, grain, and insects. They tend to roam in disturbed grasslands and woodlands, so they are less likely to spread invasive species than other game-birds like Kalij pheasants.
    Manu Minute: The transforming turkey
    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.
  • The ʻalawi is a small Hawaiian honeycreeper. Adults are about the length of popsicle sticks and have olive-green plumage. Due to their similar size and color, ʻalawi are confused with ʻamakihi. Pro-tip: ʻAlawi have a more pronounced black eye mask.
    Manu Minute: ʻAlawi, the Hawaiʻi creeper
    At first glance, it's easy to mistake an ʻalawi for an ʻamakihi. But these little birds have songs that are entirely their own.
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