Dec. 13, 2009 - Birds of Hawaii - Part 3
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This Red-tailed Tropicbird was flying around the lighthouse at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai. It’s a very beautiful bird with its white plumage, red bill, and red tail streamers. It’s fairly large with a 44” wingspan. It can be 36-42” long including the tail feathers. Tropicbirds nest on the cliffs of many Pacific islands and typically lay just one egg right on the ground.
There was also one White-tailed Tropicbird at the lighthouse and I was pleased to get a photo from above. It shows the striking white and black pattern on the top of the wings. This species is smaller than the Red-tailed Tropicbird (23-32” long, with a wingspan of 35-38”). We saw White-tailed Tropicbirds several places but the only place they were close enough to take photos was at the lighthouse.
TropicbirdWhitetailedKilaueaLighthouseKauaiHI0120091019PS1web
The Spotted Dove is not a native Hawaiian bird but it has been there a long time. It was introduced from Asia in the mid 1800s. It’s about the same length as a Mourning Dove but seems a little “chunkier”. I like the white spots on the black neck. This photo was taken at Ka’anapali Shores where we stayed on Maui.
We also saw many Great Frigatebirds at the lighthouse. They are able to soar effortlessly on their long, angular wings. The Hawaiian name for them is ‘Iwa which means “thief”. The name comes from their habit of chasing Boobies, Shearwaters, and Terns and forcing them to drop their food. The Frigatebird is usually able to catch the dropped food in midair. This is a female; she is identified by her black plumage with white throat and chest (the male is all black).
FrigatebirdGreatfemaleflightKilaueaLighthouseKauaiHI0120091025PS2web
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