Birds
Plants I
Plants II
Insects
Animals
100
What is the NATIVE Hawaiian goose. Nēnē in Hawaiian.
This is the official State bird. These birds have been bred back from near extinction in the 1960s when their numbers dropped to just 30.
100
Image courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
What is NATIVE silversword. ʻAhinahina in Hawaiian.
These plants live atop Haleakalā and flower once in their lives and die soon afterwards. They can live from 3 to 90 years or more.
100
What is NON-NATIVE Bananas. Maiʻa in Hawaiian.
This is another example of a plant Hawaiians brought with them on their voyage and is considered Polynesian introduced.
100
What is the NON-NATIVE cockroach. ʻElelū in Hawaiian.
100
What is the NON-NATIVE mongoose. ʻLole manakuke in Hawaiian.
Mongoose were brought in by the sugar cane agricultural industry to act as a sort of bio-control for rats in their fields. Today bio-control efforts are carefully studied and not released without vigorous testing.
200
What is the NON-NATIVE common mynah bird. Puha ʻekelo in Hawaiian.
Introduced in 1865 to control an infestation of army worms.
200
Photo courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
What is NON-NATIVE taro. Kalo in Hawaiian.
A staple food for the Hawaiian people this plant is considered Polynesian introduced and was brought here to be cultivated.
200
Image courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
What is NON-NATIVE plumeria tree. Melia in Hawaiian.
A common landscaping plant and brought here in the 1860s by a German botanist.
200
What is the NATIVE happy faced spider. Nananana makakiʻi in Hawaiian
These small spiders are mostly found on the undersides of leaves. It is thought the patterns help keep them from being eaten by birds.
200
What is the NON-NATIVE pig. Puaʻa in Hawaiian.
The Hawaiians first introduced the Polynesian pig as a food source. Later Europeans brought more pigs and released them for the sport of hunting. One pig can dig up a football sized patch of forest in one week.
300
What is the NON-NATIVE barn owl.
The native owl is the Pueo:
300
Image courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
What is the NATIVE white hibiscus. Koko keokeo in Hawaiian.
There are many native white hibiscus many originating from specific islands. The one shown here is from Oahu, but often used in landscaping on Maui.
300
Image courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
What is NATIVE beach naupaka. Naupaka kahakai in Hawaiian.
The white pulpy fruits most likely arrived by floating through the ocean to reach Hawaiian shores. There are other mountain varieties of this same plant.
300
What is the NON-NATIVE little fire ant. Naonao in Hawaiian.
There are NO native ants to Hawaiʻi. Little Fires Ants (LFA) pose the largest threat. More info and reporting can be done at spottheant.org.
300
What is the NON-NATIVE goat. Kao in Hawaiian.
Originally given as a gift to the King, these goats escaped domestication and cause major damage to native forests.
400
What is the NATIVE crested honeycreeper. ʻAkohekohe in Hawaiian.
This critically endangered bird is only found in East Maui upper elevation forests. More information at mauiforestbirds.org.
400
Image courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
What is NON-NATIVE West Indian raspberry or thimbleberry.
There is a NATIVE Hawaiian raspberry called ʻākala:
400
What is NATIVE ʻōhiʻa lehua tree.
This tree is one of the first to come up through lava rock fields and makes up almost 80% of our wet forest canopy.
400
What is the NON-NATIVE honey bee. Nalo meli in Hawaiian.
This is the NATIVE yellow-faced bee. Nalo Meli Maoli in Hawaiian.
We have 7 of our native bees on the endangered species list. First time bees have been on the list. They are also solitary bees and do not live in hives, but nests.
400
What is the NON-NATIVE Axis Deer. Kia in Hawaiian.
Originally given as a gift to the King, deer escaped cultivation and cause major damage to plants and forests.
500
What is the NON-NATIVE Japanese white-eye or mejiro.
Intoduced in 1929 to help with insect control. It is a vector of avaian(bird) diseases that spread and kill our native birds that have no immunity to.
500
What is NON-NATIVE Himalayan ginger. Kahili ginger in Hawaiian.
These ginger plants are very invasive and are now nicknamed the "toilet brush" ginger plant to get across their harmful effects to native forests.
500
What are NON-NATIVE cook pines. Kumu paina Kuke in Hawaiian.
These trees were planted on top of the island of Lanai to help capture more moisture and it worked!
500
What is the NON-NATIVE monarch butterfly.
This is the NATIVE Kamehameha butterfly or Pulelehua in Hawaiian:
We only have 2 native butterflies in HI. The Kamehameha and the Koa Butterfly.
500
What is the NATIVE Hawaiian hoary bat. ʻŌpeʻapeʻa in Hawaiian.
Listed as our State mammal and on the endangered species list. They are solitary bats that hunt at night and eat mostly insects.
600
What is the NATIVE wedge-tailed Shearwater. ʻUaʻu kani in Hawaiian.
These birds come to shore at night and nest in coastal areas. Artificial lights can cause them to become confused and fall. To report a downed bird and more info visit mauinuiseabirds.org.
600
What is NATIVE maile. Maile in Hawaiian.
Many native plants have cultural uses tied to them. This one is often seen being used in lei.
600
Image courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr
What is NON-NATIVE strawberry guava. Waiawi in Hawaiian.
Despite their edible fruits these trees are highly invasive to our native wet forests and spread by feral pigs.
600
What is the INVASIVE Non-native Coconut Rhinoceros Beatle (CRB)
17 larvae were found on Maui in Kihei on Nov. 21st, 2023. A NEW introduction to Maui (found on Ohau in 2013) these are a serious pest of palm trees, primarily coconut palms. The adult beetles bore into the crowns of the palms to feed on the tree’s sap.
REPORT IMMEDIATELY AT 645-PEST
600
What is the NON-NATIVE giant African snail. Pūpū(snail) in Hawaiian.
One of the most invasive snails in the world, it was brought to Hawaiʻi as a food item and ornamental. It can eat a variety of greens. A cannibal snail was brought in 1955 to hopefully eat it and other slugs, but it prefers smaller snails that include our native ones and is responsible fo the extinction of at least 8 native snails.
This is the Rosy Wolf Snail:
700
What is the NATIVE black-faced honeycreeper. Poʻouli in Hawaiian.
First discovered on Maui in 1973 by students at the University of Hawaiʻi it is now considered extinct. More information at mauiforestbirds.org.
700
What is NATIVE Haleakala lobelia. ʻOpelu in Hawaiian.
Plants in the bellflower family like this one are a staple for native forest birds and an evolutionary splendor in their flower displays.
700
What is NATIVE ʻamaʻu fern.
Often seen in the shrublands of Haleakalā. The red color acts as a sort of sunscreen for the young leaves.
700
What is the NATIVE damselfly. Pinapinao ʻulaʻula in Hawaiian.
We have 6 native damselflies listed as endangered. They differ from dragon flies as they fold their wings back at rest.
700
What is the NON-NATIVE coqui frog. Poloka(frog) in Hawaiian.
These introduced frogs have loud annoying calls and no natural predators. Reaching large dense populations they can have a huge effect on ecosystems.