The Hawaiian Islands are home to bird species found nowhere else on earth. The Keauhou Bird Conservation Center (KBCC) in Volcano is one of two centers operated by the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research as part of its Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.
Using intensive captive propagation and release techniques, the program aims to reestablish self-sustaining populations of critically endangered birds in the wild.
On Monday, April 16, from 9 to 11 a.m., join the Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (FHVNP) for a special tour of KBCC, which isn’t open to the general public.
“We’ll see and learn about native birds that the facility houses, including the ‘alala, or Hawaiian crow, which is extinct in the wild; the palila, a finch-billed honeycreeper found only on the slopes of Mauna Kea; the Maui parrotbill, an insectivorous Hawaiian honeycreeper, and the puaiohi, or small Kauai thrush,” said FHVNP general manager Julie Mitchell.
“Since the tour is during breeding season, we may even have the unique chance to see chicks being fed,” said Mitchell.
The tour will be led by KBCC research coordinator Rosanna Leighton. This field seminar is presented by the Hawaii Volcanoes Institute, which is part of FHVNP, a nonprofit organization. Program cost is $20 for FHVNP members and $30 for nonmembers, a percentage of which will be donated to KBCC. Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price. Nonmembers are welcome to join the Friends in order to get the member discount.
To register for the “Keauhou Bird Center Tour,” call 985-7373 or visit www.fhvnp.org.
This program is funded in part by the county Department of Research and Development and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or reasonable modification of policies and procedures, to participate in this event should email institute@fhvnp.org or call 985-7373 as soon as possible, but no later than five days prior to the program start.
