Rare Fossils in Hawaii

Rare bird fossils have been found during restoration of tidal pools on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu in Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge.

Scientists have uncovered fossilized bones of an extinct hawk, long-legged owl, Hawaiian sea eagle, petrel, two species of crow, Hawaiian finches and honeyeaters and a native moa nalo. Earlier findings at similar sites suggest that the bones could be 1,000 to 8,000 years old. "These fossils of extinct birds give us a glimpse of an earlier time on O'ahu when the lowlands teemed with native birds, insects and plants," says Helen James, research zoologist at the Smithsonian Institution, which is providing assistance to identify and catalog the fossils.

In 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began restoring 12 anchialine pools in a section of the Pearl Harbor Refuge that was once part of the former Barbers Point Naval Station. Over time, the pools had been filled with rubble, rocks and debris. When the natural tidal fluctuations were restored in the pools, native shrimp quickly recolonized this unique habitat. The restored pools may also attract a species of rare Hawaiian damselfly.

"The discovery of these ancient bird bones, including several species now extinct and maybe even new species not known before, is a great reminder of the unique history and wonderful diversity of Hawai'i's birds and the need to protect what is still left," said David Ellis, refuge manager, O'ahu National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

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