Division of Forestry and Wildlife

Nā Manu Nahele Finger Puppet Activities

Great for students of all ages, our finger puppets are simple papercraft activities that teach you a bit about our birds and let you pretend to be your favorite manu. Our downloadable finger puppet activities include these species:

• ʻAkepa finger puppet: English | ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
• ʻAkiapōlāʻau finger puppet: English | ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
• ʻIʻiwi finger puppet: English | ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
• Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi finger puppet: English | ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
• ʻAlalā finger puppet
• Hawaiʻi ʻElepaio finger puppet

Find the full set and plenty more to do on our Activities page.

Nā Manu Nahele Masks: Become Your Favorite Bird

A great activity for classroom or home, this downloadable PDF can be printed for a simple paper craft. You’ll need a bit of tape and string to wear it, and make sure you learn how to make your manu’s birdsong by visiting our audio pages above. You can find the full collection at our Activities page, or directly download your manu mask from the links below:

• ‘I’iwi Mask
• ‘Alalā Mask
• ‘Elepaio Mask
• ʻIo Mask
• ʻĀkohekohe Mask

Make your own ʻIo Flyer

Paper airplanes got nothing on our ʻIo Flyer, which you can download, print, and build yourself. Your paper ʻio will soar across your classroom or home, just like our beloved Hawaiian hawk.

Download the ʻIo Flyer craft and instructions

Get outside and go birding!

Birding is fun, and anyone can be a birder . If you’re interested in birds but don’t know how to find them, the resources below can help. Remember not to approach or disturb birds, just observe them. Many of our native birds are endangered.

How to use binoculars: a printable cheat sheet to carry with you while birding

Brilliant Backyard Birds: a guide to common, non-native birds in Hawaiʻi from Kamehameha Schools

Hawaiʻi Birding Trails: a guide to Hawaiʻi’s public trails and which birds you might find along each trail

Ethical Birding in Hawaiʻi: learn how to bird in a pono way

Classroom Curriculum: Hawaiian Forest Bird Unit Plan from the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds

In 2018 the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra, University of Hawaiʻi, and many other partners worked to develop the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds, a multimedia art performance that traveled across the state. As part of the project, a curriculum on Hawaiian forest birds was developed for educators to use in classrooms. Though the symphony performances are no longer happening, the unit plan is still a great resource for educators. 

Download the Hawaiian Forest Bird Unit Plan – SYMPHONY OF THE HAWAIIAN BIRDS

Battle of the Beaks (Bishop Museum)

This classroom game invites students to try picking up differently shaped objects with various styles of “beaks.” A printable scorecard helps keep the game competitive as it invites students and educators to talk about how our birds have evolved beaks that are specialized for eating seeds, insects, or nectar.

Download the Battle of the Beaks game

Kauaʻi Forest Bird Match Up Game

Cut out the forest birds and then match them up with their habitat in the images of Kauaʻi’s forests. Students can learn about bird habitat and behaviors while playing a simple match up game. This game was developed by Kauaʻi Forest Birds Recovery Project.

Download the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Match Up Game Here

Hawaiʻi’s Forest Birds: An Online Learning Resource

The Kauaʻi and Maui Forest Bird Recovery Projects worked with Hamline University to produce this interactive learning tool. Students can explore videos and photos, there are activities for teachers to use, and there are field stories from kūpuna.

Launch the Hawaiʻi Forest Bird Online Learning Resource

Coloring & Activity Book: Nā Manu ʻŌiwi o Hawaiʻi

This brand-new book for ages 5-8 includes coloring pages, writing practice, pronunciation guides, fun facts, educational information, a crossword, a word search, and more! The coolest part? It was made for students by a student: this activity book is the senior project of Liliana Jean, a student at Kanu ʻo Ka ʻĀina Public Charter School in Kamuela, Hawaiʻi Island.

Download and print the Nā Manu ʻŌiwi o Hawaiʻi coloring and activity book here

Learning Resources from Three Mountain Alliance

Three Mountain Alliance, a watershed partnership based on Hawaiʻi Island, has a variety of excellent educational activities including several that focus on forest birds and learning the names of forest bird body parts or observing birds in the wild.

Visit Three Mountain Alliance’s educational resources

Jeo”Bird”y Classroom Quiz Game

I’ll take “Bird Words” for $200, Alex. Educators can play host for the classroom game show JeoBirdy, developed by the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project. Students can select a category, get a clue, and try to solve for questions about Kauaʻi’s endangered birds. The game runs via Google Slides is easy to set up and play with a classroom projector or screen.

Play Jeo”Bird”y via Google Slides

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Coloring activity: Create your own Ānuenue Manu for Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele

Download and print this coloring page and see if you can recreate the Ānuenue Manu (rainbow of birds) we are using to celebrate Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele. You can pick your own colors for the birds, or you can do a bit of research on this page to learn the correct colors to fill in for each species. The featured species from left to right are: ʻakikiki, ʻiʻiwi, ʻapapane, Hawaiʻi ʻakepa, palila, ʻakekeʻe, kiwikiu, puaiohi, ʻākohekohe, and ʻalalā.

You can download the coloring page here.

Kauaʻi Forest Birds Coloring Book

Download and print this coloring book that features Kauaʻi’s forest birds. The book includes facts about each bird and a guide on the cover if you want to know how the birds are colored in real life.

Coloring Book: Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project

Maui Forest Birds Coloring Book

Download and print this coloring book that features Maui’s forest birds. The book includes a detailed set of facts about each bird.

Coloring Book: Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project

Songbird: A Virtual Moment of Extinction in Hawaiʻi (360˚ Video)

This 360˚ video from The Guardian tells the story of when local scientist Jim Jacobi encountered what is believed to be the last Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, in the 1980s. Jim recorded the lonely song of the ʻōʻō, calling out for a mate that he would never find. Though the story is sad, it is beautifully animated in this video and is a tale (and a birdsong) that everyone should hear.

Watch the 360˚ Video

ʻIʻiwi Holiday Ornament

This ʻiʻiwi holiday ornament from Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project can brighten a room any time of year. Download and print the PDF to get started.

Free: Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele Digital Swag

Bring Hawaiʻi’s forest birds to your next Zoom meeting or decorate your phone or computer wallpaper with our Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele Digital Swag. Choose a manu that is special to you, or bring the full rainbow of Hawaiian forest birds to your devices.

Click here to download manu nahele wallpapers & backgrounds

Free: Request Manu Stickers, free from Forestry & Wildlife

Show your manu aloha by adding forest bird stickers to your water bottle, laptop, or wall.You can send us an email with a mailing address. For Hawaiʻi-based teachers we’ll send you a pack of ~20 for your students. If you’re not a teacher and just want a sticker for your water bottle, that’s fine too- we’ll send you a sticker or two by mail, for free

Free: Nā Manu Nahele o Hawaiʻi Classroom Poster

Get our brand new manu poster to bring Hawaiʻi’s forest birds into your classroom (or home). The poster features 12 of our remaining forest bird species, reproduced in the style of digital oil paints and labeled with each bird’s name, distribution, and IUCN risk status. Our poster is available for free to Hawaiʻi educators and residents, and shipping is free to Kauaʻi, Maui Nui, or Hawaiʻi Island. Just email us at [email protected] and provide a mailing address for us to send your poster. If you email us, we may also add you to our occasional Educator Bulletin for new items (you can unsubscribe any time).

For those on Oʻahu, stop by our office to pick up a copy in person (we are not shipping on Oʻahu due to shipping costs and demand). We are open from 7:45-4:30pm M-F at 1151 Punchbowl St, Rm 325, Honolulu, no appointment is necessary.

Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project Merchandise & Donations

Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project offers a variety ways to celebrate Kauaʻi’s birds and support to their program:

Donate & Get Swag from Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project

Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project offers donation opportunities and items you can purchase to support their program. Get an ʻiʻiwi stuffed animal that sings when you squeeze it, and ʻalalā hat, shirts, stickers, notecards, and more.

Visit Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project’s page to view swag and donate

Donate to Bishop Museum’s Honeycreeper Carving Project

Ornithologist and master woodcarver Haruo Uchiyama has created a set of exquisitely lifelike Hawaiian honeycreeper carvings to educate the public about these amazing birds. These carvings give people a way to see birds that they will likely never encounter in real life due to their rarity. You can read here about this project at Bishop Museum, and keep an eye on our Events Calendar for news about an exhibition at the Science Adventure Center in early 2024. To support growing this collection of carvings, you can donate to this project at Bishop Museum.

Click here to donate to the honeycreeper carving project Bishop Museum. Select “Uchiyama Honeycreeper Carving Project” from the dropdown menu.