Kaelepulu Wetland

  • Kaelepulu Wetland
  • Home
  • Native Birds
    • ‘Ae’o ~ Hawaiian Stilt
    • ‘Alae Ke’oke’o ~ Hawaiian Coot
    • ‘Alae ‘Ula ~ Hawaiian Gallinule (Moorhen)
    • ‘Auku’u ~ Black-Crowned Night-Heron
    • Koloa ~ Hawaiian Duck
  • Other Birds
    • Northern Pintail Ducks
    • Tufted Ducks
    • Cattle Egret
  • About
    • About the wetland
    • Location
    • History
    • Threats to the habitat
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Koloa - photo by Eric VanderWerf

Koloa ~ Hawaiian Duck

Anas wyvilliana

Photos by Eric VanderWerf
Photos by Eric VanderWerf
Koloa are similar to and probably derived from the Mallard. Both sexes are mottled brown, resembling a small dark female Mallard. Their flight feathers are green to blue and bordered on both sides by white. Their feet and legs are orange. The bill is olive green in males and a dull orange or gray with a dark saddle in females. Males are darker than females and tend to chestnut coloring below.

Koloa quack like Mallards, but softer and are not as vocal. There are few pure Koloa on Oahu, most are Mallard-Koloa hybrids. You will probably see only hybrids at Ka’elepulu Wetland.

Koloa eat a wide variety of food including snails, earthworms, dragonflies, algae and wetland plants. They are listed as an endangered species.

Copyright © 2018 Kaelepulu Wetland · Photos Copyright © 2018 Hugo de Vries and Cindy Turner