Kapi'olani Community College undergraduate researchers awarded at Hawai'i Conservation Conference8/11/2026
 (From left: Dr. Wendy Kuntz, James Lee, Charlotte Bender, Xander Nakamura, Keala Ka'aloa and Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. Congratulations to the students of the Kapi'olani Community College Manu o Kū Undergraduate Research Project, who took home the award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation at the annual Hawai'i Conservation Conference in July! Their poster, "Building Kuleana Through Environmental Research: A Decade of Manu o Kū Monitoring at Kapi'olani Community College", was the culmination of data collected since 2015 by over 30 students who have participated in the project, led by Biology professor Dr. Wendy Kuntz. Read more at the link below!
Students from the Kapi'olani Community College Manu o Kū Undergraduate Research Project recently set up a Chick Cam on one of the newest nesting spots on campus. Stream it live on Twitch!
When Fareeha Khawaja recently shared a video of two Manu o Kū visiting her lanai, we noticed one of the pair appeared to be limping. To find out why, she graciously allowed us to stakeout the tree. Photos revealed that the tern has a badly injured or deformed right leg.  Photo by Kelly Furuya We don't know whether this is a relatively recent injury or something this bird has lived with for a long time. What we do know is that this Manu o Kū is not simply surviving— it’s raising a chick! Although walking and maintaining its grip on a branch clearly takes some extra effort, it continues all the work of being a parent, delivering fish, preening and caring for its chick.  Photo by Kelly Furuya This isn't the first Manu o Kū we've known that has surprised us with its ability to adapt. An adult tern with a nesting tree at the Waikīkī Aquarium has lived successfully in the wild with only one foot. We've also encountered Manu o Kū with significant beak deformities that nevertheless continue to survive on their own. These birds remind us how much of their lives we never see. An injury or physical difference that looks devastating to us does not necessarily tell us what a wild bird can or cannot do! And we might never have known about this incredible tern had the video not been shared—the true power of community-based science. Mahalo, Fareeha!  Photo by Kelly Furuya
Hui Manu o Kū coordinator Rich Downs and Capitol Modern Art Program Specialist Shirley Lam were on KITV a few weeks ago to spread the word about Woven in the Wind: a Community Celebration of Manu o Kū, the first art exhibition dedicated to Honolulu's white terns. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, the exhibition will be up until April 4, 2026!
Capitol Modern's hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4pm. Yesterday, Hui Manu o Kū partnered with the Hawai'i Audubon Society to host a hands-on workshop for arborists who care for the urban canopy across greater Honolulu. The goal was simple and vital: to make sure arborists are aware of the critical role they play in the lives of our Manu o Kū, to share best practices for working safely around nesting birds, and to let them know just how deeply their work is appreciated by the entire Manu o Kū ʻOhana. The more we learn about Honolulu’s remarkable Manu o Kū population, the clearer it becomes just how essential our arborists are in making this city such an attractive and safe place for these terns to spend their lives and raise their young. More than 40 arborists from tree-care companies across O‘ahu joined us for the workshop, which included a demonstration of recommended tools and trimming techniques that minimize disturbance to nesting birds. A very special mahalo to the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program for the grant that made this workshop possible; to Kapi‘olani Community College for generously hosting the event; and to our collaborating partners— Aloha Arborist Association, DLNR/DOFAW, and Pacific Rim Conservation—for working with us to develop and deliver this training. Extra mahalo to Tree Solutions Hawai‘i and Donahue Arborists for providing the live trimming demonstration—an invaluable part of the hands-on learning. And finally, Mahalo Nui to the arborists themselves, whose skill, care, and vigilance are essential to ensuring Honolulu remains a safe and thriving breeding habitat for our Manu o Kū! Manu o Kū have been documented nesting in the courtyard inside the Waikiki Aquarium since at least 2022, and Hui Manu o Kū has been fortunate to have an educational table there while the terns are actively breeding! This year, the aquarium's striped mullet tank was removed due to a leak and a temporary construction wall erected in its place, right beside the terns' trees. Noting another mural lining the former Edge of the Reef exhibit, our Kupu service member Kelly proposed a manu o Kū mural to aquarium staff, who enthusiastically agreed! Kelly's design was approved and painting began on November 3, 2025. Over four days, she and volunteers Sora, Iris, Charlotte, Noelle and Bella transformed the blank blue wall into a tribute to the manu o Kū who have chosen the Waikiki Aquarium as the place to raise their chicks! Photos courtesy of Sora Gallo and Kelly Furuya
You may start seeing the White Tern referred to by a new common name: the Blue-billed White-Tern — a name that highlights one of this graceful bird’s most distinctive features.
This update comes from the North American Classification Committee (NACC), which recently adopted several changes based on new genetic, morphological, and behavioral research. As part of a proposal led by H. Douglas Pratt and Eric VanderWerf, with contributions from the late Storrs Olson, the subfamily relationships within the tern family (Laridae) have been revised: 🔹 The genus Gygis (white terns) — once grouped with all other terns in the subfamily Sterninae — has now been moved into its own subfamily: Gyginae. 🔹 The familiar Gygis alba, formerly called simply the White Tern, is now officially the Blue-billed White-Tern. 🔹 In addition, G. candida (Blue-billed), G. microrhyncha (Little), and G. alba (Atlantic) are now treated as three separate species based on differences in morphology, vocalizations, and even archaeological evidence of historical overlap. 🌺 Here in Hawaiʻi, of course, we’ll continue to affectionately refer to our birds as the Manu o Kū — or simply, the White Tern. But it’s good to know the science behind their evolving story. Mahalo to the many researchers and citizen scientists who contribute to our growing understanding of this extraordinary species. And Mahalo to Eric VanderWerf for the photo below showing the distinctive blue coloration at the base of the bill leading to its new name. The UH Mānoa campus remains one of the busiest parts of the White Tern breeding range on Oʻahu with lots of nesting manu o Kū tending eggs and newly-hatched chicks. Join us for a guided tour of areas with optimal views of nesting terns, sponsored by Hui Manu o Kū and the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society. Explore the wonders of White Terns in their natural habitat here on Oʻahu! 📅 Date: Sunday, March 23 🕘 Time: 9:00 AM 📍 Meeting Point: SOEST Courtyard (Red Circle on Map Snippet) 🚗 Parking: Free behind Kennedy Theater on weekends (Blue Square on Map Snippet) 📌 RSVP by text to 808-379-7555 to secure your spot. Don't miss this chance to be part of the White Tern Citizen Science community and witness firsthand what makes these birds so special. See you there! #WhiteTernBreeding #NatureWalk #CitizenScience  |
