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‘Alae’ula at Waimea Falls Park
Posted: April 9, 2008
When I learned that a brood of ‘Alae’ula or Hawaiian Moorhen chicks hatched at Waimea Falls Park, I eagerly headed to the North Shore of O’ahu to photograph these exceedingly rare native water birds.
The Hawaiian moorhen or ‘Alae’ula (Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis) is endemic to Hawaii. They are extremely endangered with less than 300 birds remaining in the wild. ‘Alae’ula are primarily found in the wetlands of Kauai and Oahu, with much lesser numbers on the islands of Maui and Hawaii. Their numbers have dwindled due to loss of wetlands and to predation by dogs, cats, mongoose, and other animals.
‘Alae’ula are almost entirely black in color with a white stripe on their flanks, and a prominent red shield over their bright red and yellow bill. According to Hawaiian legend ‘alae’ula brought fire to humans and its face and bill were scorched bright red in the process.
‘Alae’ula have large feet that spreads their weight across a larger surface area and allows them to stand on floating platforms of vegetation where they often nest.
‘Alae’ula like dense vegetation near open water with floating mats of vegetation in depths of water less than 3 feet. If you look closely in this photo you can see a small little chick behind its mother in the vegetation.
While ‘alae’ula chicks are able to swim shortly after hatching, they are dependent on their parents for several months before being able to fend for themselves.
‘Alae’ula have a varied diet consisting of algae, grass seeds, plant material, insects, and snails. In this photo, a mother moorhen feeds water plants to her little chick.
Photographing this new family of ‘Alae’ula gave me hope for the future. May they thrive and greatly increase their numbers at at Waimea Falls Park.
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Sources:
State of Hawaii - Division of Forestry and Wildlife Fact Sheet on the Hawaiian Moorhen