This weekend, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Manu O Kū Festival. The white fairy tern is the city's official bird and the mascot of the Skyline train.
The Conversation spoke with Rich Downs of Hui Manu-O-Kū and Keith Swindle, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society, about the significance of this endearing seabird that has thrived on Oʻahu.
"It's quite remarkable, the white terns, manu-o-Kū, have not been here forever," Downs said. "The current population we date from 1961, when a breeding pair was seen over on the side of Koko Head. Since then, their numbers have increased to just shy of 3,600 breeding adults in 2023 when we did the most recent complete census."
Its population has been growing steadily, and its breeding range today extends roughly from Hawaiʻi Kai to ʻEwa Beach and Pearl Harbor.
Swindle played an instrumental role in getting the white tern designated the official bird of the City and County of Honolulu almost 24 years ago. He said one of the many things that intrigued him about the bird is its cultural importance.
"It's the only bird named after a Hawaiian god," Swindle said. "All the other birds are named after maybe sounds or what they look like, things like that. But manu-o-Kū seems to have a prominent name. And it's also very culturally important in that it is a major wayfinder for Polynesian voyaging."
Swindle said the birds are incredibly tolerant of people and Oʻahu's bustling urban forest.
"The story of white terns really is a story of tree management here in Honolulu. So we really thank arborists and tree trimmers and citizens for basically creating an environment that's good for them," he told HPR.
Tree trimming usually disturbs bird habitats, but Downs said it appears that tree trimming actually improves the breeding habitat for the manu-o-Kū. The manu-o-Kū is the only seabird that does not build nests to lay its eggs and instead lays eggs on the surface of branches.
"The species of trees that they tend to prefer for breeding are ones that, when they are trimmed, scar tissue forms around the cut, makes a nice little cup; they just lay the egg in that cup," Downs said.
Swindle also commented on a recent Trump administration proposal to lessen habitat protections for endangered and threatened species.
“Without the habitat, we don’t have the birds. It's pretty much that simple," Swindle said. "Were it not for our urban forest, we would not have white terns in our urban environment, and then we also wouldn't get all those other benefits that that habitat provides us. So it's absolutely critical. Protections for endangered species are really ultimately protections for our quality of our life.”
The Manu O Kū Festival takes place Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace.
If you find a white tern chick on the ground, you can call 808-379-7555, and a volunteer will come to try to put the chick back up in the tree and reunite it with its parents.
This interview aired on The Conversation on April 30, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
