Puaiohi
Myadestes palmeri
A rare thrush of remote forests above 4,000 feet elevation only on Kauai. Usually found in dense vegetation along streams, sometimes on adjacent ridges. Nests on ledges of streamside cliffs. Shy and unobtrusive. Adults grayish brown with broken eyering, juveniles are densely spotted below. Song is a rapid, complex warble composed of many short notes. The more frequently heard call is a harsh, grating “reagh.”
Identification
The plumage is mostly nondescript, with slaty-brown upperparts and a light gray breast and belly below. Birds have a black bill and pinkish feet. A white eye ring is also fairly prominent and helps distinguish this bird from the other Hawaiian thrushes. Males and females are highly similar in appearance. Juveniles show a pattern transitioning from a spotted whitish-buff above to a scalloped gray-brown below.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Myadestes palmeri
- Authority
- (Rothschild, 1893)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Myadestes
Range and habitat
Historically, this species has always been considered rare, favoring forested ravines above 1,050 metres (3,440 ft). Puaiohi are restricted to the center and southern parts of the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Seventy-five percent of the breeding population occurs in only 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) of forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Andean Duck
Oxyura ferruginea
Small, compact duck with a long, fan-shaped tail, often held sticking up out of water. Breeding males have a chestnut body, black head, and baby-blue bill. Nonbreeding males and females are variably brown overall, often with a smudgy dark face and a dark line through the cheek. Occurs in pairs or loose flocks, bobbing like corks on lakes in the Andes from central Colombia to southern Chile. Dives to forage on aquatic invertebrates. Not often seen flying.
Flightless Cormorant
Nannopterum harrisi
Brown, aquatic bird with brilliant blue eyes. Tiny, stunted wings look almost comical and seem out-of-place on such a large bird. Endemic to Galápagos (where it is the only cormorant), and restricted to rocky coastlines of Isabela and Fernandina islands. Breeds throughout the year in small colonies. Often seen carrying large clumps of seaweed, which it uses to build its nest.
Buru Thrush
Geokichla dumasi
A distinctive thrush with chocolate-brown upperparts, a dark head with a conspicuous pale eye-ring, a black throat, and a white belly. Also shows rows of clean white spots on wings. Juveniles show pale streaking above, a buffy underside, and irregular black, buff, and rufous mottling below. Inhabits deep undergrowth, typically foraging on the ground singly or in pairs, within forests of foothills and lower mountains. Perches low in the understory also. Restricted to Buru, where it is the only thrush. Melodious song, characteristic of thrushes, comprises short whistles and scratchy notes. Also gives a shrill, drawn-out “seeeeeeeet” call note.
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