- ʻUa’u kani are famous for the eerie sounds they make in their burrows. The birds’ OOO-AHH-OOO moans may have inspired the Hawaiian name ʻuaʻu. The word kani means noise.
- Because these seabirds eat fish and squid driven to the surface by tunas and other gamefish, ‘ua’u kani flocks are signs of good fishing grounds. Anglers call the birds tuna birds.
- Ua’u kani are not endangered but are protected by federal and state laws. About 1 million ʻuaʻu kani breed in Hawaiʻi, mostly on small predator-free islands.
- Each couple raises only one chick per year.
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- Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (nickname “wedgies”) are native to the tropics and subtropics of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The species is not found in the Atlantic Ocean or in cold climates.
- Parents remain with their newly hatched chick 3 to 6 days. Both adults spend the day fishing, returning in the evening to feed their waiting offspring.
- Becoming a member of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society helps us manage our ʻuaʻu kani colony at Freeman Seabird Preserve in Kahala’s Black Point neighborhood. We thank you and the birds thank you.
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