INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND FACTORS INFLUENCING DETECTABILITY OF PUEO (HAWAIIAN SHORT-EARED OWL, ASIO FLAMMEUS SANDWICHENSIS)

Abstract

Apex predators such as raptors play important roles in ecosystem regulation. In addition to these important roles and the charismatic nature of apex predators, apex predators often have a mirrored cultural significance for Indigenous Peoples. When their symbolic and spiritual value is so great that it affects that culture’s relationship and adaptation to the environment, they are considered Cultural Keystone Species (CKS). In addition to supporting ecosystem complexity, these species support cultural complexity regarding social identity, cultural practices, and beliefs. Pueo are the only remaining native raptor that breed across the Hawaiian archipelago, and as such play key ecological and cultural roles. In this thesis research I aimed to: (1) highlight the breadth of Indigenous Knowledge of Pueo documented in Hawaiian language newspapers and (2) identify factors influencing Pueo detectability on Hawaiʻi Island. Pueo have relationships with multiple akua (elemental forces) who play vital roles in ecosystem functionality and nutrient cycling, and have relationships with 35 species across articles, indicating our kūpuna (ancestors) understood the system stability that Pueo supported, and the functionality of the pilina (relationship) that Kānaka (Native Hawaiians) have with Pueo. Results from field surveys demonstrate that Pueo utilize every available terrestrial habitat type in Hawaiʻi, but their occupancy and detection probability are constrained by elevation and temperature respectively. On Hawaiʻi island, where Pueo co-occur with ʻIo (Buteo solitarius), we observed a potential temporal shift in their behavior. Together, the results of these chapters support the notion that Pueo are a Cultural Keystone Species and a generalist apex predator with critical cultural and ecological functions.