Landscape
Located in the central north Pacific Ocean and spanning 1,523 miles, the Hawaiian Archipelago consists of eight major and 124 minor islands. Due to its remote geography, Hawai‘i’s unique natural environment evolved in isolation. Hawai‘i has the world’s highest percentage of endemic species—90 percent of terrestrial and more than 25 percent of marine species are found nowhere else on Earth. In fact, every native forest bird species can only be found in Hawai‘i. Many of these birds are stunning in terms of beauty and sound; more than 55 species of honeycreeper originated from a founding group of Eurasian rosefinches such as the now extinct Kaua‘i ‘akialoa, for which half of its length was accounted for by its long sickle-shaped bill.
