{"id":1162,"date":"2025-08-19T22:32:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T22:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/?p=1162"},"modified":"2025-08-21T09:10:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T09:10:45","slug":"jon-ching-advocates-for-six-endangered-hawaiian-birds-in-vivid-detail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/19\/jon-ching-advocates-for-six-endangered-hawaiian-birds-in-vivid-detail\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon Ching Advocates for Six Endangered Hawaiian Birds in Vivid Detail"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jon<\/p>\n

Paradise for some, Hawai\u2018i is a place of ecological contradiction. The islands are known for their beautiful beaches and lush forests, and yet, they\u2019re also home to the largest threats to avian populations<\/a>. Dubbed \u201cthe bird extinction capital of the world,\u201d Hawai\u2018i has witnessed its forest species decline from more than 50 to just 17 today.<\/p>\n

A vivid series of paintings by Kaneohe-born artist Jon Ching<\/a> zeroes in on the magnificent beauty of six endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers, rare creatures found nowhere else on Earth. Ching is a 2024 Conservation and Justice Fellow<\/a> for the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), an organization dedicated to supporting wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Teaming up with Birds, Not Mosquitoes, ABC has been working to combat non-native mosquitoes on the islands, which have decimated populations with avian malaria.<\/p>\n

\"two
\u201c\u2018Akeke\u2019e\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like much of Ching\u2019s work<\/a>, these paintings are hyperrealistic, portraying the subjects\u2019 soft plumes and scaled claws with impeccable, otherworldly detail. Many are set against flat, graphic backdrops reflective of different aspects of Hawaiian culture. The artist writes on Instagram<\/a> that the \u2018Akeke\u2019e has a \u201cspecialized crossbill that helps them open up \u2018\u014dhi\u2018a lehua buds in search of insects,\u201d adding about the work of the same name:<\/p>\n

\n

I made a patterned design of the \u2018\u014dhi\u2018a lehua, almost as a contemporary wallpaper or textile design, but have the flower and leaves transforming from 2D to 3D as the birds perch on them. In this way, their presence gives life to this important native tree like it cares for it in the wild.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Find more about Ching\u2019s work with ABC and the fellowship program on the organization\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201c\u2018Apapane\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"two
\u201cMaui \u2018Alauahio\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cPalila\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201c\u2018Akikiki\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Jon Ching Advocates for Six Endangered Hawaiian Birds in Vivid Detail<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paradise for some, Hawai\u2018i is a place of ecological contradiction. The islands are known for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1162"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1176,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162\/revisions\/1176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}