HONOLULU (KHON2) — A baby swap, of sorts, was recently conducted at the Waikiki Aquarium and it was one of the first of its kind with this particular species.
The manu-o-Kū is the official bird of Honolulu and can be seen in trees all around the urban areas on Oahu. It is for this reason that experts know how long they incubate their eggs.
“We first detected it in January and itʻs 35 days incubation period so, you know, sometime in February there should have been a chick up there. We got well into March as well and they were still sitting on the egg,” Rich Downs, coordinator for Hui Manu o Kū told KHON2. “So we suspected that egg wasnʻt going to hatch.”
Downs, along with members of Pacific Rim Conservation, planned out a swap–the egg for a chick that had been recently orphaned.
“We took the chick up and placed it there, within two minutes the adult flew to the chick, really no hesitation, starting brooding it as if it was their very own chick,” Downs said.
There was no scientific literature on this being done with manu-o-Kū so they were relieved when the adult took to the chick.
“Itʻs the first time weʻd ever done this.”
The chick has since fledged and can be seen flitting from branch to branch near the ocean aquaculture exhibit at the Waikiki Aquarium.
If youʻd like to learn more about this bird, visit the aquarium Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:30 to 4 p.m.