Serious birders need to spend time up in the forests above 1400-foot elevation where more native Hawaiian plants support more than half the birds on the US endangered species lists. For example, the Io, or Hawaiian hawk is now found only on the big island. Sadly, more than four times as many birds met extinction in Hawaii than in all of North America. This is due to the depredations of rats, cats, pigs and mongooses and the replacement of native plants by imports. Nenes, the Hawaiian state bird, still are doing better on the volcanoes. There is a problem, and that's spotting birds in the thick forest. Fortunately, many species are bright. Horseback trips or 4WD runs can get into some of the more remote areas too. Walks on the many trails up and around the volcanoes increase chances of spotting something to add to one's life list. You can find chukars up by the snow on the Big Island, and a large number of other birds on the six or eight ecological zones that stack up the volcano from the ocean. In Hilo Leleiwi Park, there are at least 22 kinds of pelagic birds along the coast that repay shore cruises.