Kioea to Become Official Bird of Kaunakakai

Community contributed by Arleone Dibben-Young

On Oct. 25, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa and Council Chair Danny Mateo will sign a proclamation naming the kioea (Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis) the official bird of Kaunakakai. This makes Molokai the first district in the County of Maui to receive such distinction. The public is invited to the signing event, which will take place at 1 p.m. at the fourth grade classroom of Kaunakakai Elementary School, where this unusual shorebird whistles to students from the adjacent Duke Maliu Regional Park.

The kioea is one of the rarest and most unique shorebirds in the world. Kaunakakai’s kioea call the park their year-round home, although they also frequent other nearby areas. Adults breed in Alaska and return home with their off-spring; young birds remain on-island for the first several years of their lives.