Kauai History and Diversity

Kauai has the largest number of native bird species in Hawaii, due in part, because it is the only major island free of mongoose, which prey upon the eggs of ground-nesting birds. And, with only two predator birds, the hawk (‘io) and the owl (pueo), the island provided an ideal environment for the development of a diverse bird population. One of the most popular birds is the Hawaiian goose (nene). The nene, which resembles the Canada goose, slowly changed from a water bird to a land bird, and lost the webbing on its feet. Amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fish, and most mammals were unable to cross the vast expanse of ocean, but the monk seal and hoary bat succeeded. The hoary bat lives in Kokee State Park while the Hawaiian monk seal occasionally hauls out of the ocean and suns itself on some of the island’s more isolated beaches.

The Hawaiian animals and plants began to evolve in nearly complete isolation, while others were never able to successfully make the journey here. Instead, this was partially offset by biological diversity through evolution. Some animal and plant groups reached Kauai more slowly than others, leaving much opportunity for the early arrivals to evolve. Seeds adapted to different soil conditions, plants adapted to different climate zones, and birds adapted to available food sources. Beginning with only a single colonizing species, certain animal and plant groups underwent a sequence of events that produced large numbers of related species living in a wide range of habitats and playing a variety of ecological roles. It took millions of years for the black lava flows of Kauai to become a lush, green landscape. The current ongoing eruptions on the Big Island have added many square miles of new land to the island, and the modern day process of plant colonization over freshly-cooled lava flows gives us a glimpse at the cycle of destruction and creation. Millions of years ago, fire erupted deep in the heart of the Pacific Ocean and rose higher and higher to create Kauai. It is believed that from destruction comes serenity and beauty, and Kauai is a true example of this.

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