Film and TV

The Unseen

Nature just isn’t as noisy as it used to be. Imagine if your world was a tropical paradise of thick forest and unique creatures, like you. You want a mate to share it with and when you call her, there’s an answer! But where is she?

All you have to do is tune into her song and follow it to its source, then you’ll find her...

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Species spotlight

A songster that soared…

…above the forests of Kaua’i, Timo was a honeyeater whose clear liquid notes could be heard from hundreds of yards away. Like other Kaua’i O’os on this Hawaiian island, Timo loved sugary nectar and performing duets with his mate. Sadly, the last of these small black and yellow songbirds was heard in 1987.

4 things to do to help birds like Timo thrive:

  • Leave nests alone...

    The eaves of a house, where the roof projects beyond its walls, are a lovely sheltered spot for house martins, starlings and sparrows. Bought nest boxes encourage them, so does leaving any nests you find, alone.

  • Become a feeder!

    There are different mixes for feeders, tables and the ground. Avoid those with split peas, beans, rice and dog biscuit. Better mixes have flaked maize and peanut granules for smaller birds to munch on.

  • Don't deadhead

    You don't need a garden to grow flowers - a balcony or window box will do. Poppies, cornflowers and corn marigolds grow fast from seed and make fab food for birds and insects when the flowers have faded.

  • Water for feeding and bathtime

    Like us, birds need to drink - both when it's hot in summer and in winter when their world is frozen. Their feathers need to be tip-top for flying, too. Bathing helps loosen dirt and does wonders for preening!

Not only in Hawaii

What’s happening to the birds?

Waves of colonisation by humans had a profound impact on the Kaua'i O'o, as they have done on island birds all over the world.

Everywhere, birds are becoming quieter, their populations thinning, as newcomers hunt them, introduce invasive species, chop down trees and clear forests for farmland, new roads and housing developments. For centuries birds have gone extinct, but the rate is sadly increasing. During the 20th century, 84 birds went extinct; two decades into the 21st, roughly 11 more species can no longer be heard.

Two-thirds of bird species are found in forests. 7+ million hectares of forest are destroyed each year

During the 20th century, 84 bird species went extinct

One in eight birds are threatened with extinction globally

How Timo came to life

Where our story takes place

A world of wonders

Hawaii is still a habitat for rare birds whose future might be a little uncertain.

We use your donations to fund in-country conservationists working to protect endangered bird species in Kaua‘i.