NATE’S ADVENTURES:
Koaʻe ʻUla — Red-Tailed Tropicbirds
By Nate Yuen, Chapter Outings Chair
One of the amazing things to see are koaʻe ʻula—red-tailed tropicbirds—who nest along the rugged Ka Iwi Coast from Hawaiʻi Kai to Makapuʻu. Red-tailed tropicbirds, Phaethon rubricauda, are pelagic seabirds indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands and are found throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Many small coves and tide pools are carved into the ocean's edge along the Ka Iwi Coast. A hundred feet up, miniature caves and niches are carved into layers of volcanic tuff which the red-tailed tropicbirds use for nesting.
Red-tailed tropicbirds have really long tail feathers—which are longer than the bird itself! Koaʻe ʻula often soar high overhead in the sky, with their long red tails streaming behind. The tail feathers were prized and were used to make kāhili—royal feather standards—the symbols of chiefly rank.
One of the coolest things to see is their acrobatics in the air. The birds fly in vertical circular loops diving past each other and actually fly backwards! When multiple birds do their aerial loops the sight is amazing to see.
Another cool thing to watch is how the birds land on the rocky cliffs over the ocean. The birds often circle around a few times to orient themselves before landing. Their webbed feet drop down and their wings rotate in a egg-beater motion to slow their air speed. The birds hover momentarily in mid air just before landing on the rocky cliffs.
The birds nest in miniature caves and niches carved into the rocky escarpment along the coast. Both parents take turns incubating the egg and hunting for the chick.
When baby chicks first hatch they are covered with a soft down. The parents are protective and squawk loudly if they feel threatened or if you to approach too closely.
Parents take turns hunting and bring back fish and squid for their little chicks to eat. White feathers begin to sprout on their black faces and juvenile feathers begin to emerge. The chicks have voracious appetites and are soon covered with black and white plumage.
Juveniles grow rapidly and within 4 to 5 weeks become as large as their parents. When the bird fledges it learns from its parents how to hunt and catch dinner in the deep ocean.
Nate Yuen is an artist/photographer/naturalist whose body of work is a confluence of hiking, conservation, and fine art photography. Each weekend you can find him hiking, backpacking, or kayaking to out-of-the-way locations to photograph Hawai‘i’s native plants and animals, many of which are rare or endangered. His goal is to showcase these biological treasures to give you a reason to protect them for future generations. You can view his art and read about his adventures at hawaiianforest.com.
