List of bird species introduced to the Hawaiian Islands facts for kids
Imagine birds from all over the world making a new home in the beautiful Hawaiian Islands! This list tells you about bird species that weren't originally from Hawaii but now live and have families there. They arrived because of people, either directly (like being brought over) or indirectly (like escaping from a ship). These birds have successfully made Hawaii their new home and are now raising their young there. This list only includes birds that have created their own lasting populations. If a bird species is marked with a ^, it means it was originally from Hawaii but was moved to a different part of the islands where it didn't live before. If you see a *, it means the bird used to live in that area but is now gone from there.
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Birds That Made Hawaii Their Home
Many different types of birds have found a new home in the Hawaiian Islands. These birds are called "introduced species" because they were brought here by humans, either on purpose or by accident. Once they arrived, they were able to survive, find food, and have babies, creating new populations that can live on their own without human help.
Why Birds Were Introduced
People have brought birds to Hawaii for many reasons over the years. Some birds were brought as pets and then escaped. Others were introduced for hunting, or to help control insects, or simply because people liked them and wanted them to live in Hawaii. Sometimes, birds arrived by accident, perhaps on ships.
List of Introduced Birds in Hawaii
Here is a list of some of the bird species that have successfully made Hawaii their home. The notes in parentheses tell you which islands they live on.
- Western cattle egret (most of the larger islands)
- Mallard (throughout)
- Wild turkey (Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Niihau)
- California quail
- Gambel's quail (Lanai and Kahoolawe)
- Chukar partridge (all main islands from Kauai eastward, except Oahu)
- Black francolin (Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, and Molokai; possibly no longer found there)
- Grey francolin (Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu)
- Erckel's spurfowl (all main islands from Kauai eastward, except Maui)
- Red junglefowl (Kauai, Oahu, and Maui)
- Kalij pheasant (Hawaii)
- Common pheasant (all main islands from Kauai eastward)
- Green pheasant (Lanai and Kauai; possibly Maui)
- Indian peafowl (Hawaii, Maui, and Oahu)
- Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse (Hawaii)
- Rock dove (Hawaii, Maui, Oahu)
- Spotted dove (all main islands from Kauai eastward)
- Zebra dove (all main islands from Kauai eastward)
- Mourning dove (Hawaii, Maui)
- Rose-ringed parakeet (Hawaii, Oahu, and Kauai)
- Mitred parakeet (Hawaii)
- Red-masked parakeet (Hawaii, O'ahu)
- Red-crowned amazon (O'ahu)
- Western barn owl (all main islands from Kauai eastward)
- Mariana swiftlet (Oahu)
- Eurasian skylark (All main islands)
- Red-vented bulbul (O'ahu)
- Red-whiskered bulbul (O'ahu)
- Japanese bush warbler (All main islands)
- White-rumped shama (All main islands)
- Greater necklaced laughingthrush (Kauai)
- Chinese Hwamei (All main islands)
- Red-billed leiothrix (Hawaii, Maui, O'ahu)
- Warbling white-eye (Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, see Japanese white-eye in Hawaii)
- Northern mockingbird (All main islands)
- Common myna (All main islands)
- Yellow-faced grassquit (O'ahu)
- Saffron finch (Hawai'i)
- Red-crested cardinal (Oahu, Maui, Kauai)
- Yellow-billed cardinal (Hawaii)
- Northern cardinal (All main islands)
- Western meadowlark (Kaua'i)
- House finch (All main islands)
- Atlantic canary
- Yellow-fronted canary (O'ahu, Hawaii)
- Laysan finch^ (Pearl and Hermes Reef*)
- House sparrow (All main islands)
- Red-cheeked cordon-bleu (Hawaii)
- Lavender waxbill (Hawaii, O'ahu)
- Orange-cheeked waxbill (Maui, O'ahu)
- Black-rumped waxbill (Hawaii)
- Common waxbill (All main islands)
- Red avadavat (Kauai, O'ahu)
- African silverbill (All main islands)
- Scaly-breasted munia (All main islands)
- Chestnut munia (All main islands)
- Java sparrow (Maui, Kauai, Hawaii)
- Cedar waxwing (Maui)
See also
- Endemic birds of Hawaii
- List of introduced bird species
- List of introduced species
- Introduced species
- List of invasive species
- Invasive species
Sources
- American Ornithologists' Union. 1998. Check-list of North American Birds. 7th edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. 829 pp.
- Berger, Andrew J. 1981. Hawaiian birdlife. 2nd edition. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 260 pp.
- Long, John L. 1971. Introduced birds of the world: the worldwide history, distribution, and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Universe Books, New York. 528 pp.
