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Birding 2026
Kauai Urban Birds • April 16-24, 2026
Last Updated May 7, 2026 (yellow oleander toxicity)
We picked up a few new birds and interesting behaviour in some developed areas of Kauai.
Click on photos below to see a larger version.
While having dinner at Bangkok Happy Bowl across the street from our hotel, we noticed a red-crested cardinal pluck a bloom from a bush, munch the end for a few seconds, then drop it. It did this over and over, leaving a mass of these blooms on the ground. We also saw a northern cardinal and a warbling white-eye doing the same thing. Amazingly, the bush appears to be a yellow oleander, all of whose parts are toxic to most vertebrates. Some birds are immune, but none of the species we observed are on the list. Are these birds making a big mistake, should the list be updated, or can the nectar be carefully taken without harm?
Feral chickens are rampant on the islands, but that doesn't stop them from being beautiful. This rooster was among a number of chickens pecking around for sandwich crumbs at Nourish Hanalei.
Cathy's mom, Barbara, spotted a couple of chestnut munias at the base of a tree outside Vegetate.
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