A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Gallinula galeata sandvicensis
Black/blue-black bird, 10-12 inches tall, with white highlights on the wings and tail, yellow legs and feet and yellow and red bill with red shield.
Tropical insular coastal valley.
Spotted along the trail to Waimea Falls. Its Hawaiian name is `alae `ula. Its species is endangered.
Spotted on Jul 1, 2020
Submitted on Jul 2, 2020
3 Comments
Thanks for the ID suggestion Kalen. However, the Purple gallinule, Porphyrio martinicus (actually, the American Purple Gallinule, Porphyrio martinica (Linnaeus 1766)), has not been observed in Hawaii. This spotting is in fact an Hawaiian moorhen, Gallinula galeata sandvicensis.
Indeed. How many times does one bird need to be banded? (That is a rhetorical question.)
Fancy bracelets!!