For the first time, the City and County of Honolulu has an official bird: the manu-o-Ku, or white tern.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann named the threatened indigenous bird yesterday, with support from the Polynesian Voyaging Society, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Audubon Society of Hawaii.

"Manu-o-Ku is a natural choice for us, because its home is the entire City and County of Honolulu, which encompasses O'ahu as well as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands," Hannemann said at a ceremony outside Honolulu Hale.

The bird was a traditional wayfinder and guide for Polynesian voyagers of ancient times, he added.

The manu-o-Ku commonly breeds throughout the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Among the eight major islands of Hawai'i, it breeds only on O'ahu.

The manu-o-Ku will be featured in Hannemann's 21st Century Ahupua'a campaign, which focuses on establishing a sustainable future for Honolulu.

"It's a natural fit. Manu-o-Ku is a creature of the sea and land," Hannemann said.

"As a threatened species, it embodies the fragile nature of Hawai'i's unique environment. And we are pledged to protect and nurture both the 'aina and manu-o-Ku for future generations."