What's Happening in Hawaii
during the 2nd week in September:
Another migratory bird, the kioea or bristle-thighed curlew (Numenius tahitiensis), arrives at this time of year and stays through winter. Like the kōlea, it flies here from breeding grounds in the north - on the tundra of western Alaska. Kioea presently reside in greatest numbers on the unpopulated islands in the northwest part of the archipelago, but they may also be observed at uncrowded beaches on the main islands.
The kioea must have been much more common in the old days, for Hawaiian sayings refer to it as the bird that prompts fishermen to launch their canoes. Its cry was said to be Lawelawe ke ō! Lawelawe ke ō!, which means "Take the food! Take the food!" Issuing this call in the early morning, it served as an alarm clock, signaling fishermen to get to work.
"Kioea with Laysan albatross at Water catchment Sand Island, Midway Atoll"
Photo by Forest & Kim Starr
Photo by Forest & Kim Starr
For more photos of kioea and other birds, visit Forest and Kim Starr's gallery on the Hawai'i Ecosystems At Risk project website.
Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"
published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989
Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"
published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989
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