Hamakua Marsh is a wildlife sanctuary, a beautiful place to witness rare birds found only in Hawaii in their native habitat. The Marsh provides significant habitat for several of Hawaii’s endemic and endangered waterbirds.
Be on the look out for the birds fishing, bathing, or even protecting their territory. here.
The Ae‘o, or Stilt, is a native of Hawaii and, standing 16 inches on bright pink legs, it is the tallest shorebird. The Stilt is one of four endangered native Hawaiian waterfowl that live in the Hamakua Marsh, including the ‘Auku’u- Black Crowned Night Heron, Migratory Mallards, ‘Alae Ke’oke’o- Hawaiian Coot (white bill) and ‘Alae ’Ula- Common Moorhen (red bill). To see them, all you need to do is walk along the stream or sit and watch for a while.
Access Hamakua Marsh from the parking lot next to Kailua General Store on Hamakua Drive (across from Safeway). Please be respectful of the area and please don’t feed the birds!
The Hawaiian Coot or ʻalae kea (Fulica alai) is a bird in the rail family. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, coastal saline lagoons, and water storage areas. The Coot is an endangered species and is considered both endemic and endangered by the state of Hawaii.
The ae‘o is a slender wading bird that grows up to 15 inches in length. It has a black back and white forehead, and is white below; the female has a tinge of brown on its back. This endangered species has very long pink legs and a long black bill.
The native Black-Crowned Night Heron can be seen in the Hamakua wetland area. Although not endangered, it is a native bird of Hawai`i.
The Hawaiian moorhen (Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis), or Alae ‘ula, is one of the endangered birds that can commonly be seen on the banks of the stream. Alae ‘ula is a beautiful bird with a red plate above it’s beak. In Hawaiian mythology, a moorhen brought fire to Humans; the red on its forehead is a symbol of the scorching it suffered from the fire.
Nearly 90% of Hawaii’s wetlands have disappeared, making it vital to care for the ones that remain.