Birds

Hawai'i is not a place where large native animals abound. You may occasionally see humpback whales break the ocean surface, or a group of porpoises arcing gracefully in and out of the water. `Io (Hawaiian hawk) and pueo (short-eared owls) sometimes hover overhead, and `ōpe`ape`a (Hawaiian bats) flutter across bays and roadways at dusk.

But the island's most noticeable large native animal is the nēnē or Hawaiian goose. Honored as the State Bird, the endangered nene symbolizes the precarious existence of Hawai`i's native birdlife.

Link to photos of birds in Hawai`i by Peter La Tourrette. (use the menu on the left side of Peter La Tourrette's page to find links to photos of the birds you are looking for).