Hawaii Offers New Homes For Seabirds As Habitat On Remote Islands Disappears….Rising sea levels, warmer ocean temperatures, hotter weather and invasive species all threaten Hawaii’s 22 species of seabirds. But local organizations are finding ways to help.
Sporting a brand new shiny coat of soot-black feathers, a Tristram’s storm-petrel flutters its wings on the North Shore of Oahu.
The tiny chick’s movement indicates its first flight is imminent, but that’s only its latest milestone. Scientists say this bird at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge could be the first of its kind to be born on Oahu since humans began inadvertently interfering with their habitats — a significant step for the species in its survival amidst climate change.
Over the course of decades, environmental organizations have been working to bring storm-petrels and other seabirds back from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as they face threats from rising seas and other effects of a warming planet.
