Waikamoi Preserve, on the island of Maui, takes its name from a stream that runs through this 5,230 acre protected area. It is a sanctuary for hundreds of native Hawaiian species, many of them endangered or rare. Here in windswept subalpine regions and rainforests of koa and 'ohi'a, native plants, birds and insects have woven an ecological fabric like no other on the planet -- one that supports some of the rarest and most beautiful of Earth's creatures: the unique forest birds of Hawai'i.

Here -- and nowhere else on Earth -- you may catch a glimpse of the rare 'akohekohe or Maui parrotbill. More frequently, the forests are alive with the colors of the scarlet 'i'iwi , the crimson 'apapane , the bright green 'amakihi , and the yellow-green Maui creeper. The Hawaiian owl, pueo, lives here, as do the Hawaiian goose, nene, and the native dark-rumped petrel, 'ua'u.

• Take a guided tour offered by the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii. Keep an eye out for the beautiful Maui Parrotbill.