This weekend, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Manu O Kū Festival. The white fairy tern is the city’s official bird and the mascot of the Skyline train.
The Conversation spoke with Rich Downs of Hui Manu-O-Kū and Keith Swindle, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society, about the significance of this endearing seabird that has thrived on Oʻahu.
“It’s quite remarkable, the white terns, manu-o-Kū, have not been here forever,” Downs said. “The current population we date from 1961, when a breeding pair was seen over on the side of Koko Head. Since then, their numbers have increased to just shy of 3,600 breeding adults in 2023 when we did the most recent complete census.”…