Name of Assignment: Hawaiian Endemic Species Essay
Subject: Environment & Ecology
Facilitator/Teacher: Professor Gould
Description of Work/Assignment:
For this assignment I wrote a one page essay going over general biology of the Hawaiian endemic species of my choice. I chose the Hawaiian hawk.
Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
I feel this assignment most accurately addresses my information skills. For the first time in my junior year I was asked to write a nonfiction essay. This required calling back years worth of schooling to decide how to approach my essay. I also had to transfer all information to the essay and have an adequate understanding in order to put it into my own thoughts.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
I am most proud of the process I went through to build my essay. I did most of the writing while working on the outline in order to make sure all of the information was properly placed to be read smoothly. Then I went through my essay and made sure my in text citations and bibliography were both organized properly.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
Since this is a college course, I worked hard to make sure all of the information was properly organized in my head and on paper to make sure the essay itself came out properly formatted.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
The most difficult part for me when completing this task was starting. Since I do not do as many essays as I used to they have become a dreaded idea in my head. I do not get enough practice and it is not something I like so I need to take the first step to not procrastinate my essay and then it always gets easier from there.
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do different?
If I could start over I would try to incentivize myself to start the essay sooner, I ended up handing it in the night it was due waiting until the last minute to make the final edits.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
This relates to what I have learned in the past by taking all of my nonfiction writing experience and trying to make the best possible college level essay.
How can you apply this to future learning?
I can apply this to future learning because I will be doing a lot more essays in my highschool and college careers, especially nonfiction writing. So every essay I do will slightly imporve my writing simplyy by making me more familiar with the basics of higher level writing.
Hawaiian Hawk
‘Io
Buteo solitarius
The Hawaiian hawk, also known in Hawaiian as the ‘io, much like the nene bird, gets its Hawaiian name from its unusual calls. (Honolulu Zoo, 2022) Hawaiian Hawks may also be known by their scientific name which is made up of their genus and species names, buteo solarius (IUCN, 2016). According to Animalia, “The Hawaiian hawk is the only hawks native to the Hawaiian islands, and fossil evidence indicates that it inhabited the island of Hawai’i, Moloka’i, O’ahu, and Kaua’i at one time,” (Animalia, 2021).
Hawaiian hawks are found all across the island of Hawaii, from lowlands and pastures to up to 8,900 feet in elevation. Hawaiian hawks are most commonly seen around volcanoes and along the Hamakua Coast. Occasionally, Hawaiian hawks can also be found on other islands such as Maui, Molokai, and even O’ahu. Though Hawaiian hawks have often visited other islands, they have only been known to breed on the big island ( What Bird, 2013). Hawaiian hawks are considered k-selected species, meaning they have only a few offspring, but put much time and effort into parental care (Griffin, 1998).
Hawaiian Hawks, like most hawks are found at the top of the food chain. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Hawaiian hawk’s only known predator is humans. Though Hawaiian hawks are a symbol of royalty in Hawaiian culture, their population suffers indirectly from humans. The most common way this happens is their ideal nesting spots, ohia trees, are endangered due to deforestation and the introduction of invasive non-native species (American Bird Conservancy, 2015).
Hawaiian hawks most commonly consume lizards, rodents, game birds, and invertebrates such as insects. They often hunt by pouncing from a stationary perch or circling then diving from the air (Animalia, 2021)
The Hawaiian hawk is considered “near threatened.” According to the IUCN red list, there are 1,100 Hawaiian hawks left on Hawaii. The main causes of the Hawaiian Hawk’s near threatened population are residential development, transportation, and agriculture (IUCN, 2016). Although Hawaiian hawks are normally solitary, when hawks do gather, the group is called a “kettle.” Similar to most hawks, the Hawaiian hawk can have either a dark or light feather pattern. The light feather pattern consists of dark brown upper parts and whitish underparts and brown spots on the breast. Hawks with dark color patterns have brown on their entire bodies aside from under their wings and under their tails (What Bird, 2013). Both sexes follow the same color patterns and builds, the only difference between the two is females are on average two inches taller than males, with an average female height of eighteen inches and average male height of sixteen inches (Encyclopedia, 2019).
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22695929/93534506
https://www.honoluluzoo.org/animals/hawaiian-hawk-io/
https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1117/_/hawaiian_hawk.aspx#:~:text=Hawaiian%20Hawk%3A%20Endemic%20to%20the,as%208%2C900%20feet%20in%20elevation.
https://animalia.bio/rawaiian-hawk
https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/science-magazines/hawaiian-hawk#:~:text=Hawaii-,Description,occur%20in%20about%20equal%20numbers.
‘Io
Buteo solitarius
The Hawaiian hawk, also known in Hawaiian as the ‘io, much like the nene bird, gets its Hawaiian name from its unusual calls. (Honolulu Zoo, 2022) Hawaiian Hawks may also be known by their scientific name which is made up of their genus and species names, buteo solarius (IUCN, 2016). According to Animalia, “The Hawaiian hawk is the only hawks native to the Hawaiian islands, and fossil evidence indicates that it inhabited the island of Hawai’i, Moloka’i, O’ahu, and Kaua’i at one time,” (Animalia, 2021).
Hawaiian hawks are found all across the island of Hawaii, from lowlands and pastures to up to 8,900 feet in elevation. Hawaiian hawks are most commonly seen around volcanoes and along the Hamakua Coast. Occasionally, Hawaiian hawks can also be found on other islands such as Maui, Molokai, and even O’ahu. Though Hawaiian hawks have often visited other islands, they have only been known to breed on the big island ( What Bird, 2013). Hawaiian hawks are considered k-selected species, meaning they have only a few offspring, but put much time and effort into parental care (Griffin, 1998).
Hawaiian Hawks, like most hawks are found at the top of the food chain. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Hawaiian hawk’s only known predator is humans. Though Hawaiian hawks are a symbol of royalty in Hawaiian culture, their population suffers indirectly from humans. The most common way this happens is their ideal nesting spots, ohia trees, are endangered due to deforestation and the introduction of invasive non-native species (American Bird Conservancy, 2015).
Hawaiian hawks most commonly consume lizards, rodents, game birds, and invertebrates such as insects. They often hunt by pouncing from a stationary perch or circling then diving from the air (Animalia, 2021)
The Hawaiian hawk is considered “near threatened.” According to the IUCN red list, there are 1,100 Hawaiian hawks left on Hawaii. The main causes of the Hawaiian Hawk’s near threatened population are residential development, transportation, and agriculture (IUCN, 2016). Although Hawaiian hawks are normally solitary, when hawks do gather, the group is called a “kettle.” Similar to most hawks, the Hawaiian hawk can have either a dark or light feather pattern. The light feather pattern consists of dark brown upper parts and whitish underparts and brown spots on the breast. Hawks with dark color patterns have brown on their entire bodies aside from under their wings and under their tails (What Bird, 2013). Both sexes follow the same color patterns and builds, the only difference between the two is females are on average two inches taller than males, with an average female height of eighteen inches and average male height of sixteen inches (Encyclopedia, 2019).
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22695929/93534506
https://www.honoluluzoo.org/animals/hawaiian-hawk-io/
https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1117/_/hawaiian_hawk.aspx#:~:text=Hawaiian%20Hawk%3A%20Endemic%20to%20the,as%208%2C900%20feet%20in%20elevation.
https://animalia.bio/rawaiian-hawk
https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/science-magazines/hawaiian-hawk#:~:text=Hawaii-,Description,occur%20in%20about%20equal%20numbers.