Geologically the Hawaiian Islands are considered to be fairly young, probably no more than 20 million years old. The islands are also extremely isolated from any other land masses; it is more than 2,000 miles to the nearest continent. Before any resident birdlife could exist here, plants had to become established. Seeds arrived by various means from distant lands, and one by one new kinds of plants began to grow on the volcanoes—at first only a few primitive types could get a foothold on the barren lava, but in time those early plants decayed and combined with the basalt rock to produce a soil that could support a complex vegetation.

Endemics

We have no way of knowing what kind of land bird was the first to take up residence here, for that early species has certainly been greatly altered through the workings of evolution. In fact today nearly all the resident native birds are types that are now found nowhere else in the world. Birds such as these are called endemic; they have undergone gradual change over the millennia to become completely new forms, different from any birds found elsewhere.

Many of Hawaii’s endemic species belong to the Hawaiian honeycreeper family (Drepaniidae) and are thought to have evolved from a single bird prototype that possibly arrived here from Central or South America. Explosive bursts of evolutionary change followed, and the resulting new forms did not much resemble each other. Present day park representatives of the Hawaiian honeycreepers include the apapane, iiwi, and amakihi.

Besides the Hawaiian honeycreeper stock several other early migrants made their residence in Hawaii and evolved into endemic forms. In the park they include a Hawaiian race of the (North American) short-eared owl, the io (a hawk), the nene (a goose), the omao (a thrush), and the elepaio (an Old World flycatcher).

Migrants and Sea Birds

While the endemic species have acquired full residence on the islands, other birds live here for only part of the year, usually returning to the north during summer to breed. In the park the best known of these migrants is the American golden plover which spends almost 10 months of the year in Hawaii and only 2 months on its travels to the Aleutian Islands.

Migration patterns for certain of the sea birds are virtually unknown. Some, like the white-tailed tropic-bird, may remain near the islands throughout the year, while others, such as the dark-rumped petrel, migrate inland only during their breeding season.

Exotics

The most recent additions to Hawaii’s avifauna are birds brought in since 1855 by man. There are various reasons for the introductions; the mynah, for example, was brought here from India in 1865 to combat the army worm and other insect pests. Perhaps most of the exotics were introduced because people wanted to see birds that reminded them of their former homes. Birds like the cardinal from the eastern United States and the white-eye from Japan are in this category. For years the Hui Manu, a local bird club, was active in releasing new birds on the islands. Game birds constitute another type of introduction. The first to arrive was the California quail more than a hundred years ago. Pheasants and chukars among others have also become established in the park from importations.