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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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Latest Episodes
  • Manu Minute: The rosy-cheeked bulbul
    We've got the pretty but pesky red-whiskered bulbul for today's Manu Minute! The recordings you'll hear are courtesy of Xeno Canto and should sound familiar to our Oʻahu listeners.
  • The chukar is a prized gamebird. It stands about a foot
    Manu Minute: The chuckling chukar
    We’ve got another game bird for you on this week’s Manu Minute — the chukar partridge!
  • Mourning doves are found mainly on the Kona side of Hawaiʻi Island. They have distinctive
    Manu Minute: The musical mourning dove
    Of the four types of doves that call Hawaiʻi home, mourning doves are the rarest. We have their calls today, courtesy of Xeno Canto.
  • The Laysan duck has one of the smallest geographical ranges of any duck in the world.
    Manu Minute: The rare Laysan duck
    Did you know that Hawaiʻi is home to one of the rarest ducks in the world? We've got its calls for you, courtesy of Xeno Canto.
  • ΄Akē΄akē are about the same size as myna birds, but they have much longer wings. Their plumage is dark brown except for a white band across the top of their broad, square tails.
    Manu Minute: The mysterious 'akē'akē
    ʻAkēʻakē, or band-rumped storm petrels, are the rarest and smallest seabirds that breed in Hawaiʻi. Little is known about the ʻakēʻakē, which only come to shore under the cover of darkness.
  • The Eurasian skylark is about the length of a butter knife. Its plumage is brown, and it has
    Manu Minute: The musical Eurasian skylark
    The Eurasian skylark isn't the flashiest bird to behold, but its courtship song packs a melodic punch.
  • The ring-necked pheasant is a mid-sized game bird. The feathers from the males' bright plumage are used in feather working.
    Manu Minute: The ring-necked pheasant
    Take a break from the news with today's Manu Minute! We've got the call of the ring-necked pheasant, courtesy of Xeno Canto.
  • Koaʻe ʻula or red-tailed tropicbirds are about 3 ft long, with a wingspan of nearly 4 ft. They have white plumage with
    Manu Minute: Koaʻe ʻula, the red-tailed tropicbird
    For today's Manu Minute, we’ll hear the calls of seabird whose long red tail feathers are prized for feather-working. Thanks to Xeno Canto for these recordings.
  • Black francolins are a little over a foot in length. Males have black heads with a brownish-colored “crown” and white patches below and behind their eyes. Females and juveniles are mostly mottled-brown in color.
    Manu Minute: The black francolin
    On today's Manu Minute, we have got the scratchy calls of a common game bird. Thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology for these recordings of black francolins.
  • Nīhoa finches have black legs and large feet, with sturdy, seed-eater bills. They are smaller than their relatives, the Laysan finches.
    Manu Minute: The Nīhoa finch
    The Nīhoa finch is one of two endemic bird species that call Nīhoa Island home. About 3,000 finches live on the tiny island, which is now part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.