Hawaii’s Urban Birds

While Hawaii is known for its share of exotic tropical birds, it is also the home of many urban birds that originally were introduced through the years as pets or in an attempt to control other pests. These are the birds we see every day, almost everywhere on Maui.

Mockingbird
Yep. The good old Northern Mockingbird has a place here in Hawaii mimicking other birds and providing myriad other sounds.

Pigeon
Found everywhere. Some folks raise them. You can tell this is a pet by his banded leg.

Pacific Golden Plover
This bird is most often seen during our winter here in Hawaii, but it actually spends half its year in Alaska or the Siberian Tundra. These birds, like Sanderlings and several other species, are capable of non-stop flights from their winter breeding grounds to the Hawaiian Islands for a warmer season! The Plover is called Kolea here.

Sanderling
Another wintertime visitor that people are likely to see is this shorebird that spends half its time in the tundra up North as well. The Sanderling can be seen running around on our beaches looking for treats in the sand.

Night Heron
They may have night in their names, but these birds are seen anywhere and any time of the day hanging around swampy or marshy areas.

Sparrow
No shortage of these little guys.

House Finch
Quite often seen in your garden just outside. The females lack the reddish color and most resemble Sparrows.

Java Finch
These cute little birds are kin to Sparrows, but they don’t look like them at all. Originally introduced from Indonesia, Java Finches are the bane of many homeowners as they are the most effective bird for gaining entry to and nesting in your attic space.

Muscovy Duck
Easily recognizable. These guys occupy many of the ponds and canals around the island with the other introduced species of ducks.

Red Crested Cardinal
Originally from South America, these are my favorite urban birds. We also have the well-known Northern Cardinal in his all red attire.

Grey Francolin
Originally from the Middle East. These birds are often seen running more than flying, and they have the reputation of having the loudest and most obnoxious call…usually issued in the mornings, but can be heard throughout the day as well. Once heard, never forgotten.

Japanese White Eye
These guys move fast and they are quite small, but are fun to watch as they fly about your garden catching insects. Originally from Japan.

Spotted Dove
Originally introduced from Asia, these guys are the ultimate urban bird along with their cousins, the Zebra Dove.

Zebra Dove
Most folks are familiar with these guys because they are practically everywhere. These birds are quickly trained to take food from you.

Mynah Bird
These obnoxious and loud birds are found everywhere around the island. You will see them whether you want to or not. What’s most amazing about these birds is that they can be taught to speak a limited vocabulary!

Egret
Any urban bird list of Maui would be incomplete without these critters. Almost a pest, these guys enjoy hanging out with horses and cows, but are especially inclined to swarm landscapers and mowing crews. They can be seen following lawn mowers and picking out the newly displaced insects and lizards. I have seen literally 50 birds following a commercial mower along the roadside.

Chicken
And the winner for most seen and heard bird on Maui is the Guinea Fowl, or Chicken as they are most commonly known. As soon as you land at Maui Airport, you will see these guys running around the parking lot.

Rooster
The Chicken’s noisy counterpart…of course there are plenty of Roosters here too. This guy is up pretty early at our house and insists on crowing just outside our window at 4am every day.

Here on Maui, we can watch a variety of birds from just about anywhere. Whether you’re checking out the natural beauty of the island or just cruising around the city, don’t forget to keep a lookout for some of these urban birds of Hawaii.