Floating in the Calm Skies of Kona

'Io

On the Kona flank of the Island of Hawai‘i, the massive bulk of Mauna Loa, the world's largest shield volcano, blocks the prevailing tradewinds, leaving the air calm. Only a daily cycle of gentle convectional breezes moves up and down the gentle slopes, bringing the warm, humid climate that kama‘äina refer to as "Kona weather." In the native forests of Kona, the still air would be silent if not for the songs of birds. In the growing light just before dawn, the songs of ‘apapane, ‘amakihi, ‘i‘iwi, and other honeycreepers fill the cool montane air. The whir of wings overhead guides the eyes to a pair of bright red birds crossing an open lava flow between forest patches. They are homing in on an ‘ohi‘a lehua tree thickly covered with scarlet blossoms, promising a plentiful and sweet nectar meal.

Suddenly, in an explosion of red feathers, one of the two ‘apapane is taken by a dark form that plummets from above, leaving the other to veer off in avian panic. As the feathers drift slowly to earth, a hawk lands in a grey snag of a koa tree, and prepares her morning meal…

To ancient Hawaiians, the ‘io was a royal figure: strong and aggressive, but also graceful and stately, poised silently high above the earth. Certainly in our visits to the forests of Kona, to see hawks wheeling about silently in the pale skies or to hear their piercing cries is an impressive and unforgetable thing. The Hawaiian saying "kaha ka ‘io i ka malie" translates as "the hawk stands out in the calm skies," and is used to denote admiration for a person who stands out in a crowd because of their appearance or charisma. The palace of the Hawaiian monarchy in Honolulu was named ‘Iolani, "Exalted Hawk," which reflects this long-standing symbolism.

The Hawaiian hawk is one of only two extant native birds of prey native to the Hawaiian Islands. The other, the pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis) is a subspecies of the North American short-eared owl, and considered by many scientists a relatively recent natural arrival to Hawai‘i. Nonetheless, like the ‘io, the pueo is prominent in Hawaiian mythology and in stories, even engaged in battles with men (the pueo armies won). The pueo can be found on all of the main islands, but the hawk is today restricted to the island of Hawai‘i. While it is still relatively common there, it is considered an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and an important element for biodiversity conservation.

‘Io have been able to persist because they can thrive in a variety of habitats, and have taken advantage of introduced rodents, augmenting their ancient diet of forest birds. As a top predator, the presence of ‘io in the forests of Kona is also an indication that the system which supports it is still relatively intact. In ecological systems, when the underpinnings are damaged, the top predators are often the first to be affected. In the forests of Kapu‘a in South Kona, ‘io still build their nests in strong ‘öhi‘a trees, calling out their persistence for all to hear.