ʻŌhala is a Hawaiian word — a rare adjective used to describe something that is green, young, or not yet ripe. It suits him perfectly. He is all three.

On Friday, June 13, 2026, a woman named Ashley found a small green Indian Ringneck parakeet injured in the street at the intersection of Hunnewell and Kamehameha Avenue in Manoa. Ashley rescues cats — birds are a little outside her world — so she did what any good animal person does when they’re out of their depth. She called for help.

She called Feather and Fur Animal Hospital in Kailua. And they said: call HFFN.

So she did. And we said: no problem.

ʻŌhala was examined and X-rayed at Feather and Fur Animal Hospital. The good news: no broken bones. The wing injury, while serious enough to ground him, is treatable. Two weeks of medication and careful monitoring, and he should be ready for the next chapter.

Tonight he came home with us.

ʻŌhala on his first night in HFFN care — June 13, 2026

He’s wild. He’s scared. And he let us know it.

ʻŌhala is a baby, and he doesn’t recognize what we’ve given him as food — because he’s never had to. In the wild, his parents would have fed him and taught him what things are safe to eat. He didn’t touch the banana and sprouts. So we syringe fed him formula instead. He screamed at us the whole time, because we’re humans and we’re terrifying to him, and he had opinions about the situation.

But when food touched his beak, he decided to take it.

Hunger does that.

Ashley made a donation to support ʻŌhala’s care. She left us with words we won’t forget:

This is how it’s supposed to work. A compassionate stranger who doesn’t know birds but knows that animals matter. A veterinary team that knows who to call. An organization that picks up the phone.

ʻŌhala means green, young, not yet ripe. Right now, that’s exactly what he is. In two weeks — and with a little patience, a lot of formula, and the grudging cooperation of one very opinionated baby parakeet — he’ll be ready.

We’ll keep you updated. 🌿