HONOLULU (AP) — A Native Hawaiian seabird nesting in the middle of downtown Honolulu is delaying a multimillion-dollar project to renovate a building home to the Hawaii State Art Museum and other state department offices.
The white tern can be spotted sitting atop the third-floor balcony of the Capitol District Building protecting an egg that was laid there, KHON-TV reported Wednesday.
The state had planned to start $8 million of improvements to the building, which included termite fumigation, painting and tile work. But the work will have to wait until the egg hatches and the chick learns how to fly. The process could take about four to five months.
“This population is the only one in the world known to lay eggs and raise their young in an urban environment and they chose Honolulu,” said Rich Downs from Hui Manu O Ku, a group that tracks white terns.
Downs said the seabirds enjoy Honolulu because the city’s proximity to the ocean provides a short trip to food. The birds pluck fish out of the water and take them back to their chicks.
The threatened species is protected under state law and cannot be disturbed while nesting.
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources says the white tern is the official bird of Honolulu and is thriving in the urban area.