DLNR Keauhou Bird Conservation Center Virtual Field Trip

Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele - Year of the Forest Birds

2024 is Ka Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele: The Year of the Forest Birds, a time to celebrate the jewels of our Hawaiian forests. Our native forest birds are uniquely Hawaiian: they exist only in the Hawaiian Islands and nowhere else in the world. These birds have critical ecological roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, and insect managers of Hawaiian forests. Our forest birds are an inextricable part of Native Hawaiian culture in their roles as ʻaumakua (family deities) and messengers between akua (gods) and kānaka (people). Nā manu nahele are celebrated in mele (songs) moʻolelo (stories), ʻōlelo noʻeau (proverbs), kaʻao (legends), and in the creation of feather adornments including lei hulu.

Our nā manu nahele are at risk: of 84 forest bird species known from either the fossil record or human observation, an astonishing 58 species have gone extinct. Of the 26 species that remain today, 24 are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as vulnerable, near-threatened, threatened, endangered, or critically endangered. To learn more about why Hawaiʻi has lost so many native birds and what is being done to save those that remain, explore below and come to one of our Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele events this year to meet the manu experts who help prevent extinction.

2024 was officially proclaimed as Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele by Governor Josh Green, M.D. and by Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami. This campaign is brought to you by a partnership of manu enthusiasts from DLNR Forestry & Wildlife, Kamehameha Schools, Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, the ʻAlalā Project, the University of Hawaiʻi Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death outreach group, Bishop Museum, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Birds Not Mosquitoes, the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, the Invasive Species Committees, Hawaiʻi Association of Watershed Partnerships, the Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, and American Bird Conservancy.

Nā Kiaʻi: Learn about efforts to save our birds

Why have we lost so many of our forest bird species, and why are almost all of our remaining species at risk? Learn below about the threats to forest birds, including predation by rats, cats, and mongoose; habitat loss due to human land use, introduced ungulates, and invasive plants; and avian diseases that are carried by invasive mosquitoes. The link below is from the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, but all of Hawaiʻi’s islands share these threats.

But, there is hope: community members and manu experts across Hawaiʻi are working to protect our remaining birds. Below you can learn about some of the groups working to prevent further extinctions of our native forest birds. One major lifeline for our birds is the mosquito control efforts coordinated by Birds Not Mosquitoes, a partnership of state, federal, and private organizations working to reduce disease-carrying mosquitoes in Hawaiʻi’s forests. Learn about the surprising hero of this story: a tiny, common bacteria called Wolbachia.

Teachers, take a 360 degree virtual field trip to a world-class avian care center and meet our rarest birds.

Watch & Explore!

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How will you celebrate Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele?

Click any of the five category buttons below to jump to your celebration of choice.

Unit & Lesson Plans

Keauhou Bird Conservation Center VFT: Alignment to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

K-2 Unit: Hawaiian Forest Birds - Based on the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center VFT

3-5. Unit: Hawaiian Forest Birds - Based on the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center VFT

Additional Resources

Want to know more or get in touch with some of Hawaiʻi’s bird experts? Click below to explore some of the partnerships and organizations working to protect Hawaiian forest birds and their habitats:

Developed By: The Department of Land and Natural Resources and The Hawai'i Department of Education

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