BirdNote; The Kauai O’o, Hawaiian Forest Bird

BirdNote®

The Kaua’i O’o, Hawaiian Forest Bird

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote!

[Kaua’i O’o song and Hawaiian forest background sounds]

The poignant, bell-like tones you’re hearing belong to the Kaua’i O’o, a small forest bird once found on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua’i. This recording was made in 1975 in the Alakai Wilderness, a region of native rainforest that often lies shrouded in mist. Sadly, the Kaua’i O’o’s gentle song was heard for the last time in 1987.

[Kaua’i O’o song]

The native birds of the Hawaiian Islands, like birds of many island groups, have been hit hard 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 Hawaii and islands throughout the world.

At least ninety percent of the bird species driven to extinction in recorded history have been [Pause] … island-dwellers. The demise of the Kaua’i O’o was greatly hastened by mosquito-borne avian diseases, where neither the mosquito nor the disease was native.

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

[Kaua’i O’o song]

American Bird Conservancy is working to reduce the decline of threatened or endangered Hawaiian birds. Thanks to ABC, all native Hawaiian birds are now protected under federal law. Learn more about the birds and the programs to protect them at BirdNote.org. I’m Michael Stein.

[Kaua’i O’o song]

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Call of the Kaua’i O’o provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recorded by R.J. Shallenberger. Hawaiian forest ambient [129244] recorded by G. F. Budney.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

© 2011 Tune In to Nature.org December 2011 Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# SotB-KAOO-01-2011-12-18