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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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  • When in flight, ΄iwa, or great frigatebirds, have immediately recognizable silhouettes with long, pointed wings, hooked bills, and a forked tail. ΄Iwa have the largest wings for their body weight of any bird in the world, and recent studies using satellite transmitters have shown they can fly over two months without landing.
    Manu Minute: ΄Iwa, the man-of-war bird
    On this Manu Minute, we are dishing up a bird that is often seen but not heard. The ‘iwa, or great frigatebird, flies high above our heads, performing acrobatic feats midair. We’ve got the song of this storied seabird today, thanks to Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
  • Common mynas are about nine inches long, chocolate brown with black heads yellow bills and legs, and bright yellow bare skin behind their eyes. They have little patches of white under their tails and on their wings.
    Manu Minute: The common myna
    Here’s a bird everyone will likely be familiar with — it’s the myna! Myna birds are everywhere. (Really, we wish we were kidding.) They’ve been declared one of the world’s worst invasive species. We’ve got their songs for you today, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
  • Nēnē are the state birds of Hawaiʻi. The literal translation of the word Nēnē in ʻŌlelo Hawaii means “to chirp, as a cricket; to croak, or whimpering as a sleeping infant.”
    Manu Minute: The murmuring Nēnē
    Few native species in Hawaiʻi are as recognizable as the Nēnē. It's the rarest goose in the world — and a rare conservation success story.
  • Image 1: Kioea
    Manu Minute: The bristle-thighed curlew
    It’s the season to see kioea! These long-billed shorebirds spend their winters here. They’re not too common on the main Hawaiian islands, so we have their call for you from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in today's Manu Minute.
  • The puaiohi is also known as the small Kauaʻi thrush. While not the most eye-catching songbird on the Garden Isle, they've got a distinct raspy call with trills and whistles.
    Manu Minute: Kauaʻi's last thrush
    The puaiohi isn't the most eye-catching songbird on the Garden Isle, but it does an important job.
  • Image 1
    Manu Minute: The Erckel's francolin
    Today, we've got one game bird a long way from home: the Erckel's francolin. Native to Eritrea, Sudan, and Ethiopia, Hawaiʻi is one of only a handful of places you can find an Erckel's francolin outside of Africa.
  • The kiwikiu has an upper bill that is sharply hooked like that of a parrot (hence its English name, the Maui parrotbill). Aided by their strong neck muscles, they use this bill to shred and crush small branches and twigs in search of food.
    Manu Minute: The critically-endangered kiwikiu
    With barely more than a hundred remaining individuals in the wild, the endemic kiwikiu one of the rarest and most endangered birds in the world. We have their song for you on today's Manu Minute.
  • Koa'e kea are one of the most distinctive seabirds commonly seen on the main Hawaiian islands. Their common name, white-tailed tropicbirds, references their bright two long, streaming tail feathers. These feathers are purely ornamental — they offer no benefit to flight.
    Manu Minute: The Two Tail-Feathered Koa'e Kea
    We're back to seabirds today! And we've got quite the looker. The koa'e kea is one of the most distinctive birds you can spot in the main Hawaiian islands. Its English name, white-tailed tropicbird, references one of its most notable features — its two long, streaming tail feathers. And you can hear their calls on today's Manu Minute, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  • Moa look a lot like modern-day chickens. They're a bit smaller than their barnyard cousins, and male moa have a recognizable red, black, and green color pattern in their plumage.
    Manu Minute: A Good Moa To You
    Calling all backyard farmers! We're looking at humankind's first alarm clock: the moa, or red junglefowl. Common chickens were likely domesticated from red junglefowl in Asia over 8,000 years ago. We've got both here in Hawaiʻi! Listen to the difference in their crows, thanks to Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, on today's Manu Minute.
  • Northern mockingbirds are a medium-size bird found throughout North America. Their wings are grey-black with two white bars and patches that are visible when they fly. They have long grey tails with white edges. Their eyes are yellow with a faint eye line, and they have black legs and feet.
    Manu Minute: Northern Mockingbirds — Wait, We Have Those Here?
    Did you know that Hawaiʻi has Northern mockingbirds? This talented songbird is one of the stars of the bird world in North America — it's even the official bird of five different U.S. states. But it admittedly seems out of place in our islands. Our host Patrick Hart will tell you how they got here and how to find them, and we've got a few of their versatile songs for you as well, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
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