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The streets of Downtown Honolulu might not be the first place you'd think to bird watch, but at least one very special bird calls this city home: the indigenous manu-o-Kū, also known as the white tern. Today's Manu Minute was made with recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Palila are large for native honeycreepers, just a bit smaller than the regular red Northern cardinals you may see in your backyard. They have yellow heads with black lores, yellow breasts, and white-cream colored bellies. Males are more brightly colored yellow than females.

Manu Minute: The pleasant palila

The palila is the last finch-billed native honeycreeper. These rare birds have all but vanished from the Hawaiian Islands, with the exception of a few small patches of high elevation forest on the west side of Maunakea on Hawai'i Island.

California quails are about the size of a football with grey-blue plumage on their chests and backs and scaled bellies. Their most distinctive feature is their curled black head knots, made up of six plume feathers that droop forward.

Manu Minute: The Cali valley quail

This week, we've got a transplant from the Golden State. University of Hawai'i at Hilo professor Patrick Hart introduces us to the California quail.

Northern cardinals are approximately 9 inches long; males are a vivid red color, and have a red crest with black masks and chins, with sizeable red bills for eating seeds.

Manu Minute: Manu ʻula ʻula, the red bird

The Northern cardinal is the ruby in the crown of any backyard birder. We've got their song, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

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.

Manu Minute: The Vibrant Hawaiʻi ‘Ākepa

We’re back on Big Island today, looking for the native ΄ākepa. And a little bird told us that this vibrant honeycreeper is a favorite of our host, Patrick Hart!

Manu Minute: The Cardinal Cousins

We've got two new birds for you today: the red-crested cardinal and the yellow-billed cardinal. We get to hear both of their songs, thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Can you tell the difference?

Manu Minute: The ʻAlae Keʻokeʻo, a Real Coot-ie

Have you ever seen an ΄alae ke΄oke΄o? It’s our endemic coot! It can be found in wetlands throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Despite its widespread territory, its small population numbers can make this bird hard to find. But we’ve got its call for you today, courtesy of the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Manu Minute: The Growing Flock of Saffron Finches

Saffron finches are native to South America and were introduced to the islands around 1965. Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for today's field recordings.

Manu Minute: The Many-Named ʻAukuʻu

ʻAukuʻu like a hardy meal. They are keen foragers and will hunt fish, insects, frogs, mice, and even young water bird chicks. Scientists have also observed ʻaukuʻu exhibit a clever form of "tool use"; if night herons are in busy areas where people feed ducks bread, they will often take pieces of bread and lure in the fish with the “bait.” Special thanks to the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

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