Photo Gallery: Native Seabird Manu-o-Kū Nesting Downtown

We spotted adorable baby manu-o-Kū in bustling downtown Honolulu.

The manu-o-Kū, also known as the white tern or fairy tern, is an indigenous seabird that breeds on O‘ahu and other Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It’s also Honolulu’s official bird. We spotted some chicks and their parents downtown on Bishop Street in a few trees near Bishop Square.

Those trees have been marked with blue ribbons by Hui Manu-o-Kū to ensure the public knows to leave them alone and who to call for help if something should happen to the chicks. Because the white tern lays its egg directly on a branch rather than in a nest, chicks have been known to fall to the ground. Only a single egg is laid and a single chick raised at a time.

In traditional Hawaiian navigation, manu-o-Kū are known to lead the way to land. They go out to sea to hunt for food, then return to their nesting site to feed their chicks. So it’s normal to see a chick on its own; as long as it’s in a tree, it’s likely just waiting for its parents to come back.

If you find a manu-o-Kū egg or chick in an unmarked tree, report it to Hui Manu-o-Kū so the organization can attach a ribbon, which will help ensure the chick’s survival in the long run. The white terns typically nest between January and June.

SEE ALSO: The Hawai‘i Wildlife Center Lends a Helping Wing to Native Birds and Bats

Aaron K. Yoshino is the staff photographer of HONOLULU Magazine.

Andrea Lee is the digital editor of HONOLULU Magazine.