BirdNote; Song of the Kauai O'o

BirdNote®

The Song of the Kauai O’o

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote!

[Kauai O’o song and Hawaiian forest background sounds]

The poignant, bell-like tones you’re hearing belong to the Kauai O’o, a small forest bird of the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. This recording was made in the Alakai Wilderness of Kauai, a region of native rainforest that often lies shrouded in mist. Sadly, the Kauai O’o’s gentle song was heard for the last time nearly twenty years ago.

[Kauai O’o song]

The native birds of the Hawaiian Islands, like birds of many island groups, have been hard hit by changes brought about by humans. Habitat destruction, introduction of non-native species, and slaughter of native species have taken a drastic toll on the animal and plant life of islands throughout the world.

At least ninety percent of the bird species driven to extinction in recorded history have been island-dwellers. The demise of the Kauai O’o and perhaps 15 other native Hawaiian forest birds was greatly hastened by mosquito-borne avian diseases, where neither the mosquito nor the disease was native.

At least we have the O’o’s song to remember it by.

[Kauai O’o song]

This song was recorded in 1975. Birdsongs for BirdNote are provided by the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. For a link, come to BirdNote.org, I’m Frank Corrado.

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Call of the Kauai O’o provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recorded by R.J. Shallenberger.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

© 2006 Seattle Audubon © 2008 Tune In to Nature.org

Revised for Dec. 2008

ID# 121406KAOOKPLU (Revised Oct. 2007 Tune In to Nature.org)