In late November 1818, Russki born Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin was on his second bout around the world when he sailed the Russian frigate Kamchatka, into the Hawaiian Islands. The 42-year-old captain had been sent on a mission by Tsar Alexander I, to check on relations between the Russian American Company (RAC) and the Hawaiian Empire. Unbeknownst to Golovnin, German physician and RAC employ, Georg Anton Schäffer, had been booted out in 1817. It was revealed that Schäffer attempted to seize power over Hawaii through an unsanctioned plot not authorized by Mother Russia, which caused his oust from the islands. Because communication had not reached St. Petersburg yet about Schäffer’s plot, Golovnin had already set sail to deliver a letter with instructions to “Do everything possible to help establish Russian possession and build a factory on Kauai.” With a stopover in northern California, Golovnin procured a few special avian gifts to present to Chief Kamehameha I, the chieftain who had united the Hawaiian Islands into a single kingdom in 1795. Upon arriving in Hawaii, Golovnin wasted no time and went ashore and provided King Kamehameha I an offering of seven California quail (Valley quail), among other gifts. Golovnin wrote the following in his captain’s log, “Two hours later, after my return on board,… I had also gifted to the King seven live California quails.” Two more entries made by Golovnin in early December, concerning the isle’s new gamebirds, for which he said the island lacked in, include, “I succeeded in bringing to this island some California quail, which are very fertile. I presented them to the King who undoubtedly will take good care of them. Wild birds of the forest and the sea are not very numerous here. I shall discuss them later when talking of the Island group as a whole…” “ The mysterious action of firearms astonished and frightened savages most of all, but Europeans themselves revealed the mystery to them and thus lost the awe, which they at first had in the eyes of the Islanders. The less careful among the navigators often went out bird hunting and in the presence of the natives loaded their guns, not in a soldierly manner, but slowly and deliberately as hunters…” As with any newly introduced species, the California quail (Callipepla californica), saw a period of initial flourishing, followed by population declines that succumbed to extensive hunting and other factors. With a subsequent liberation of California quail in 1855 and beyond, the hearty gamebird adapted so well to the tropical climate, that they became a common resident across the Hawaiian Islands by the end of the 19th century. Unbeknownst to Russia and her emissary Golovnin, they had laid the groundwork for other gamebird introductions, with or without the approval of the island’s monarchy. A precedent had been set that opened the door for foreigners to “invigorate” the local island fauna. Soon, gamebirds began pouring in. The turkey arrived from America in 1815. Seventy years later (1885), pheasants sporadically arrived in Hawaii. They came from Japan and China, including a shipment of 21 that came over as part of Judge Owen Denny’s additional freight to Oregon. Denny was responsible for bringing the most recognizable gamebird in the world to the U.S in 1881. 1895 brought a dozen prairie chickens to the Big Island but the birds quickly perished. A decade into the new century had 299 Green pheasants set foot onto Hawaiian soil. The devil bird aka the chukar, came from Asia and the Middle East, made landfall in 1923. Francolins arrived in the late 1950s from Ethiopia (Erkel’s) and India (Black).
The Swinging Sixties hauled in additional exotics such as the Kaji and Green pheasant, Japanese quail, and African Chestnut-Bellied Sand grouse. There was even a somewhat successful experiment with Gambels quail. Even a couple of Asian doves were thrown in for good measure. These exotic gamebirds thrived and with time became island fixtures for the locals and visiting Haole sportsmen to hunt. Over two-hundred years later since Golovnin’s gift to the Hawaiian king, a plethora of introduced gamebirds, turned wildly feral, have prospered. Enough that the 50th state offers more than sandy beaches, volcanoes, and luaus, in the form of a target-rich environment for inquisitive wingshooters looking for a taste of nonnative Hawaiian fowl. The moral of the story is to be weary of Russian delegates who arrive bearing gifts in the form of aves. Countries should be cautious, as it may signal a wave of unwanted foreign critters across the land. In the end, it worked out for Hawaii, as lei wearing vacationers are able to enjoy sunrays, fruity cocktails, and hip swinging hula girls, as well as vast opportunities to shoot an extensive list of imported upland manu’s (birds), in possibly the best place in North America to bird hunt. Aloha.