Cooper Ornithological Society

Cooper Ornithological Society The Avifauna of Niihau Island, Hawaiian Archipelago Author(s): Harvey I. Fisher Source: The Condor, Vol. 53, No. 1 (Jan. - Feb., 1951), pp. 31-42 Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Cooper Ornithological Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1364585 Accessed: 08/06/2010 15:25 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucal. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of California Press and Cooper Ornithological Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Condor. http://www.jstor.org Jan., 1951 31 THE AVIFAUNA OF NIIHAU ISLAND, HAWAIIAN ARCHIPELAGO By HARVEY I. FISHER Niihau Island lies about 150 miles northwest of Honolulu and is about 25 miles west by south of the island of Kauai. It is approximately 17 miles long, and its greatest width is five miles. The highest elevation is 1281 feet, at Paniau, on the northeast coast. The southern and northernends and the western side of this volcanic island (fig. 1) are low, with sand and lava beds sloping gently to the sea. The east-central part of the island, from Halalii Lake on the south to Puu Alala on the north, is made up of rugged lava mountains rising toward the east where 1000-foot cliffs drop to the water's edge. In this mountainous portion is a rolling plateau (800 to 1100 feet) between Mount Kaeo and Pueo Point which extends north to Paniau; this plateau is formed of the heads of the numerous canyons that cut eastward through the cliffs to the sea and by the basins of the Kaumuhonu,Puniopo and Kahunalii valleys extending westward. In the lowlands are intermittent lakes. Halutu and Halalii lakes to the south were nearly dry when we visited the island. Apana Reservoir was broken and dry. The only surface water present was in Halutu Lake, in the small ponds north of Kiekie and south- west of Puuwai, and in the numerous sumps dug in tidal waters to supply brackish water for the livestock. Only cistern water is available for household use. At times, this supply must be augmented by using coconut milk and cactus pears (panini). The large acreages of cactus (Opuntia) established on the island by the Robinson family also are a major source of water for cattle. The above statements indicate that the island is ex- tremely dry; it probably has an annual rainfall of less than 15 inches. Although the aridity is no doubt due to the fact that the mountains of Niihau are relatively low and that Niihau is in the lee of Kauai's 4500-foot mountains, the aridity is increased by the absence of any significant amounts of forest on Niihau itself. There is no native forest of any sort left on the island; it apparently was destroyed by goats liberated by Captain Vancouver in 1794. Niihau was the first Hawaiian island to have goats released on it. Wilson and Evans (1890-1899:viii) noted the absence of the forest, but land mollusks of the genus Carelia were found. This indicated to them that there formerly were damp forests. Kiawe trees (Prosopis chilensis), started from seed by the Robinsons, are now the predominantvegetation of the lowlands, the moun- tain canyons and the steep slopes. Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) are not found in abundance; a few acres here and there in the lowlands constitute the only plantings, although occasional trees are found elsewhere. Grasses of eleven kinds and indigo (Indi- gofera suffruticosa) form the main plant cover of the plateau. A nearly pure stand of pasture grasses, free from weeds because of the browsing of sheep, is to be found between Kiekie, Nonopapa and Halutu Lake. This was the only green spot on the island at the time of our visit and was the result of a recent rain in that area. Although cactus is scattered over most of the island, it is most abundant and is the predominantplant in the region around the north side of Apana Reservoir. Unfor- tunately, the cactus is being killed out by a blight that reached the island within the last few years. In a few small areas of eroded soil east of Mount Kaeo a reforestation programhas been initiated with varying degrees of success. One large area near Paniau has been taken over completely by koa haole (Leucaena glauca), an introduced shrub. It is so thick in this region that one cannot walk between the spindly trunks that rise 12 to 20 feet in height. 32 THE CONDOR Vol. 53 Land use on Niihau is limited to ranching operations, and it has been for the last three-fourthsof a century. Because the feral goats were in competition with domestic stock, the owners, starting about 1890, made every effort to eliminate them. By 1912 the last goat had disappeared.Since that time cattle, horses and sheep have ranged over NI LLEHUA ISLAND PALl KOAE PUU,,,ALALA S- KAALI POLEHO CLIFF rAUNUNUI * PANIAU KH VALLE:Ay UHONU *PUUWAI (wMT. KAEO APANA RESERVOIR PUEO POINT fIEKIE NONOPAPA ISLANDOF NIIHAU o 1 .MILES SCALE KEANAHAKI BAY KAWAIHOA POINT 160"15' ;60 0 Fig. 1. Islands of Niihau and Lehua, Hawaiian Archipelago. the entire island, subject to available water. Despite this extensive use the care of the owners has prevented overgrazing.There is much more vegetation now than there was 35 years ago. Bee-keeping has been an important phase of operations of the last half- century. The only areas under cultivation are small household gardens; there is not sufficientwater for most crops. Jan., 1951 AVIFAUNA OF NIIHAU, HAWAII 33 Feral pigs exist in great numbersin all the lowland. Evidence of their rooting activi- ties is everywhere. They are used as food by the Hawaiian population, but their num- bers seem to be on the increase. Their success may in large part be the result of the bountiful supply of kiawe beans on which they feed. The cosmopolitan rat (Rattus rattus) is present in considerablenumbers, but perhaps the most important mammalian predator of birds is the feral cat. Stories of the ferocity and abundance of these cats are almost legendary. Running them down with horses used to be a favorite sport. The mongoose (Herpestes griseus) is not present as it is on some other Hawaiian islands. N) feral rabbits are to be found on Niihau; they are numerouson the nearby islet of Lehua. No dogs are allowed on the island. Although pigs, rats and cats are everywhere,ground- nesting birds such as the Ring-necked Pheasant, California Quail and Domestic Turkey are flourishing. The populations of pheasants and quail on Niihau seem to be higher per unit of area than in comparableareas on islands where the mongoose is present. Fig. 2. Lowland vegetation two miles southeast of Nonopapa, Niihau. In the late 1880's, employees of Lord Rothschild visited the island to collect specimens to be used in preparing his "Avifauna of Laysan and the Neighboring Islands." At about the same time Scott Wilson studied the birds of Niihau as part of his taxonomic and distributionalwork on Hawaiian birds. Since the turn of the century the only ornithologist to visit the island was Mr. GeorgeMunro, who spent a short time there in 1939. During the summerof 1947 Mr. A. E. Robinson, one of the owners of Niihau, invited three members of the staff of the University of Hawaii to come to Niihau to make col- lections and to study the birds, insects and plants. Without the generosity and interest of Mr. Robinson the expedition would never have been possible. We remained on the island from August 12 through August 16 as guests in his ranch home. He provided horses and guides to enable us to visit all parts of the island in the short time available. In the five days of work on the island, some 90 miles were covered on horseback. Forty-five specimens of birds were collected, and notes were made on populations, dis- tribution and natural history. Because of the scarcity of certain introduced species such 34 THE CONDOR Vol. 53 as the Prairie Chicken, the "Hawaiian Chicken," Gallus gallus, and the Bush Partridge or quail (Coturnix) no specimens of them were taken. One day was spent on the small cone island of Lehua, which lies just off the north end of Niihau. The avifauna of Niihau has particularinterest to the ornithologist because all native birds have been eliminated and their places taken by successful exotic birds. Since the introduction by humans of exotic species has been under the control and supervision of one family, it is possible to note dates of introductionof many species.

Load more