ʻAlae ʻUla

The ʻAlae ʻUla are Hawaiian common moorhen waterbirds.  

One of the places they call home is Keawāwa Wetland and village site in Maunalua.

From the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources,

"Between 1993 and 2003, the average annual number of ‘alae ‘ula

(Hawaiian moorhen) counted has been just under 300 individuals (in the Hawaiian Islands).

The species was common at the turn of the last century, but by the 1940s its status was considered precarious."  The work at Keawāwa wetlands by the Livable Hawaiʻi Kai Hui is to increase the ʻAlae ʻUla wetland habitat in Maunalua, East Oʻahu.

Charles Van Rees from Tufts Universty has been studying the ʻalae ʻula from Keawāwa wetllands for a number of years.  Click on the image above to view his amazing work.