Common Waxbill on Oahu

This being Saturday, and thus a free day, I took advantage and drove around the island of Oahu. When I stopped to do some snorkeling at Hanauma Bay I noticed two Common Waxbills feeding on grass seeds. This introduced species is native to Africa.


In a marshy area somewhere on the North Shore, I found three Black-necked Stilts, the same species found in the western U.S., but of a race endemic to Hawaii. About 10 years ago a survey determined that there were only about 1,350 of these birds in existence.