Birds of Kauai, Hawaii

A closer look at the birds we saw during our week-long vacation on the island.

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My husband and I just got back from our week-long family vacation in Kauai, Hawaii. The 8 of us stayed at the Marriott Lagoons and we all had a blast on our non-stop adventure!

One of our favorite (and most anticipated!) parts of the trip was getting to go bird watching. There are so many tropical birds that I had never seen before; I couldn’t wait to grab my camera and start searching!

Now that we are settled back at home, I finally get to share my favorite pictures with you…

I hope you enjoy this list of some of Kauai’s beloved birds that I’ve put together for you!

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Note: Each picture was taken by me (Morgan), on my Canon DSLR camera. Although I didn’t get a picture of every single bird we saw, I did my best to document these moments as they happened throughout the week! Please give credit when sharing this post. Thank you, and enjoy!

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In no particular order, here’s 18 photos of some beautiful Hawaiian birds!

1. White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon Lepturus)

We never got to see these birds up-close, but they sure put on a show for us in the air! They reminded me of small dragons flying down in the canyons and gliding in front of waterfalls. These were definitely one of the most graceful birds we witnessed!

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2. Great Frigatebird (Fregata Minor)

With a seven foot wingspan (I repeat, seven foot!), these Great Frigatebirds are quite the sight to see! The male seabirds can be seen displaying their inflated gular sac, which is a bright red part of their neck/chest that puffs out during courtship. It can be inflated for 20 minutes or more! That’s gotta be a sure way to impress the ladies!

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3. Red-footed Booby (Sula Sula)

There are literally hundreds of Red-footed Boobies that have made their home at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. They are the smallest of the booby species, and they display many different colors on both their faces and feet. I am glad I got to witness their sizable wingspan from below!

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4. Nene, or Hawaiian Goose (Branta Sandvicensis)

You might already know how much I love geese, and that I visit our local goose friends at the lake pretty often. Getting to see this rare species in person was amazing! The Nēnē is Hawaii’s state bird, and it is heavily protected by law from hunting. Their honking nosies are similar to Canadian geese, but they also have a low ‘nay nay’ call… So that’s how they got their name!

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5. Moorhen, or Gallinule (Gallinula)

These little water birds are closely related to Coots, and they enjoy grazing near marshy areas with lots of vegetation. Not surprisingly, we saw these little guys munching on the grassy fields near our Villa almost every time we drove by. Don’t you just love the little red shield they have on their forehead?

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6. Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis Fulva)

It was hard to identify this bird at first, but we eventually nailed it down to the Pacific Golden Plover. (They change colors depending on the season, so it can get confusing). They aren’t quite as tall as Hawaiian Stilts, but they have similarly tall legs. We saw these birds fairly often, especially near our Villa where there were large grassy fields that housed the insects Plovers feast on!

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7. Juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax Nycticorax)

After doing some more research, I was led to believe that this Heron is a juvenile! It was the only one we saw up close, as you can tell by this picture. These are talented hunting birds. They will stand ever-so-still to wait for the chance to dive into the water to catch their live meal. I love their piercing, round eyes, which vary in color based on age. (Juvenile’s eyes are orange, while adult’s eyes are red). I am so glad we got a peek at this young little Heron!

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8. Red-Crested Cardinal (Paroaria Coronata)

Although their name sounds like they belong to the Cardinal family, these Brazilian-native birds are actually related to the family of Tanagers. These tropical birds are popular in Kauai, as they can be seen just about everywhere you go. I really enjoyed taking pictures of these birds! Their brilliant coloring makes for a postcard-worthy photo every time.

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9. Common Myna (Acridotheres Tristis)

As a member of the Starling family, these prominent birds are actually a common nuisance to the areas they inhabit. They are an aggressive bird that will compete with many native birds for their food and nesting areas. Myna’s are an invasive species to Hawaii, and are considered an avian pest among Hawaiian natives. These loud, demanding, and protective birds are all over the island, but they were definitely a sight to see!

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10. Zebra Dove (Geopelia Striata)

Introduced to Hawaii in 1922, these blue-faced doves are a common sight on Kauai. They are fairly small doves, with a soft cooing call. Prior to this trip, I didn’t know these birds existed! More than once, we saw their ‘mating dance’ take place. The male will bob his head up and down while following his potential female mate, making sure to show off the underside of his tail. It’s interesting to watch, as we saw it happen more than once while we were on the island!

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11. Red Junglefowl (Gallus Gallus)

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Get ready to be woken up around 6:30am by the calls of these Junglefowl! You can also hear this call all throughout the day if you listen closely enough. Junglefowl can be seen all over Kauai (as well as the other Hawaiian islands), along with hens and their chicks. They are behaviorally different from domestic roosters and chickens, as they are feral (wild). Interestingly enough, there are about a thousand different stories of how the chickens got to Hawaii, and I don’t know if I ever heard the real story while I was there! (I’m curious to know what stories you’ve heard!)

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12. Hummingbird (Garden Decoration)

I saved this one for last, as there aren’t actually feathers on this particular bird. This was the only Hummingbird that I saw during my week on Kauai. It makes sense, because Hummingbirds do not inhabit Hawaii! I wasn’t aware of this until I looked it up once our plane landed. Frankly, I was a little bummed that I wouldn’t be seeing any of my favorite birds while on this trip. But, I was blessed to see an abundance of new birds which made me extra happy!

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Birds not pictured...

We saw plenty more birds during our stay, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get pictures of them all. So, here is a list of birds that made our list but not our camera roll!

1. Warbling White-eye, or Japanese White-eye (Zosterops Japonicus)
2. Hawaiian Honeycreeper (Drepanis Coccinea)
3. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus Ibis)
4. Snowy Egret (Egretta Thula)
5. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis)
6. White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus Malabaricus)
7. Muscovy Duck (Cairina Moschata)
8. Hawaiian Coot (Fulica Alai)
9. Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus Mexicanus Knudseni)
10. Rose-Winged Parakeet (Psittacula Krameri)

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How many of you have been to Kauai? (Or any other Hawaiian Islands?) If so, what was your favorite bird that you saw while you were there? I’d love to hear from you!