Eagle-eyed photographer captures the beauty of Hawaiian birds in a new zine
By Maddie Bender
April 13, 2026 at 2:25 PM HST
There were plenty of stars at the Merrie Monarch Festival, but not just on the stage. The craft table had a star of its own: a new publication titled “Manu: Hawaiian Forest Birds.”
The zine spotlights a plethora of Hawaiʻi's native manu; from native honeycreepers like the ʻiʻiwi and the Hawaiian hawk, ʻio, to Hawaiʻi’s beloved owl, pueo.
Each bird featured in the zine was photographed and compiled by Bryan Shirota. During the day, Shirota flies himself as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines — but off the clock, he's developed a keen talent for wildlife photography.
It was a simple task that spurred his interest: photographing birds to use for worksheets to hand out to keiki aboard a flight. What he thought would be a small project quickly grew into a big passion, Shirota said.
“So that was kind of the beginning of my adventure into bird photography," Shirota said. "It's kind of like Pokémon, you know. You gotta catch them all.”
An ʻakiapōlāʻau photographed and featured by Bryan Shirota in "Manu: Hawaiian Birds." (April 13, 2026). (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
To Shirota, what’s important is not just the manu, however, but the ‘āina that surrounds them.
“One of the main themes that I really wanted to push is the relationships between native Hawaiian forest birds and the native forests … and I'd like that to help influence maybe some of this discussions or actions that they could do to help conservation for the birds,” he said.
“Hawaiʻi is the extinction capital of the world. Unfortunately, we are looking at possibly losing a few more species in the next few years. … But you know, I just want people to know that these birds are still there, and hopefully we can appreciate them and also do things that or action that might help them in the future,” Shirota said.
HPR's Maddie Bender, left, with Bryan Shirota, right. (April 8, 2026) (6000x4000, AR: 1.5)
Shirota’s zine, “Manu: Hawaiian Forest Birds,” sold out its first run but more copies are expected to be available by April 16. Copies will also be available at the Heart of Honolulu Street Festival on May 9.
More information, as well as more photography by Bryan Shirota, can be found at his website here.
This story aired on The Conversation on April 13, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
The zine spotlights a plethora of Hawaiʻi's native manu; from native honeycreepers like the ʻiʻiwi and the Hawaiian hawk, ʻio, to Hawaiʻi’s beloved owl, pueo.
Each bird featured in the zine was photographed and compiled by Bryan Shirota. During the day, Shirota flies himself as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines — but off the clock, he's developed a keen talent for wildlife photography.
It was a simple task that spurred his interest: photographing birds to use for worksheets to hand out to keiki aboard a flight. What he thought would be a small project quickly grew into a big passion, Shirota said.
“So that was kind of the beginning of my adventure into bird photography," Shirota said. "It's kind of like Pokémon, you know. You gotta catch them all.”
An ʻakiapōlāʻau photographed and featured by Bryan Shirota in "Manu: Hawaiian Birds." (April 13, 2026). (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
To Shirota, what’s important is not just the manu, however, but the ‘āina that surrounds them.
“One of the main themes that I really wanted to push is the relationships between native Hawaiian forest birds and the native forests … and I'd like that to help influence maybe some of this discussions or actions that they could do to help conservation for the birds,” he said.
“Hawaiʻi is the extinction capital of the world. Unfortunately, we are looking at possibly losing a few more species in the next few years. … But you know, I just want people to know that these birds are still there, and hopefully we can appreciate them and also do things that or action that might help them in the future,” Shirota said.
HPR's Maddie Bender, left, with Bryan Shirota, right. (April 8, 2026) (6000x4000, AR: 1.5)
Shirota’s zine, “Manu: Hawaiian Forest Birds,” sold out its first run but more copies are expected to be available by April 16. Copies will also be available at the Heart of Honolulu Street Festival on May 9.
More information, as well as more photography by Bryan Shirota, can be found at his website here.
This story aired on The Conversation on April 13, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.