Manu Minute: Koloa māpu, the dabbling duck

By Patrick Hart,

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson, Savannah Harriman-Pote

Published May 31, 2023 at 12:01 PM HST

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1 of 3 — Ann Tanimoto-Johnson Northern pintail male, AMT_5867.jpg

Koloa māpu, also called northern pintails, are dabbling ducks. They are considered indigenous to Hawaiʻi.

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson / HPR

2 of 3 — Ann Tanimoto-Johnson Northern pintail female, AMT_5911.jpg

Males and females are sexually dichromatic, meaning that males and females have differently colored plumage. Males in breeding plumage have dark brown heads, white chests, and throats, with white lines extending up their necks. Females have mottled brown and black plumage with pointed tails and dark bronze-colored patches on their wings.

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson / HPR

3 of 3 — Ann Tanimoto-Johnson Northern pintail male, AMT_5889.jpg

Koloa māpu can be found in many different places in the world. It gets its English name, northern pintail, from its long central tail feathers.

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson / HPR

The koloa māpu is one of Hawaiʻi's most common migratory ducks.

These dabbling ducks winter in the main Hawaiian Islands, and usually arrive in Hawaiʻi in August. They stay here until late March or April, and then make the long trip back to Alaska, Canada, or even Siberia.

Koloa māpu populations are declining in the islands, likely due to the destruction of their wetland breeding habitats.

AMTJ_Manu Minute, Northern pintail (Koloa mapu) Spectrogram video.mp4

Audio credit: Sophie Reverdiau, Xeno Canto (XC784742)