Film and TV

The Unseen

A still taken from the animated film 'The Unseen' showing a bird perched on a tree branch in a lush green forest.

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...

Watch the film ↓

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.

A promotional poster with orange and dark brown text and illustrations of two Kaua’i O’os bird faces, tropical flowers, and palm leaves. The music poster text overlaid says ‘The O’os’, ‘Livin’ on the Edge’, and ‘only performing in Kaua’i’.
A promotional poster with an orange background and illustration of Timo, the Kaua’i O’o in The Unseen. The text overlaid on the poster says ‘The O’os Aloha ‘OE Tour 87 Performing solo for the final time *only performing in Kaua’i’.

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.

Silhouette of a bird with its wings spread.

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

Black silhouette of a bird in flight with wings spread wide on a light background.
Black silhouette of a bird in flight on a light background.

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.

Close-up of a vibrant red Hawai'i 'Ohi'a Lehua with numerous long, thin stamens and surrounding green leaves against a blurred green background.
A brightly colored bird, the ʻiʻiwi or scarlet honeycreeper, with a long curved beak perched on a branch with green leaves, with wings spread in mid-flight.