The archaeology of human foraging and bird resources on the island of Hawai'i: The evolutionary ecology of avian predation, resource intensification, extirpation, and extinction

Paleontological and archaeological research in Hawai`i has revealed evidence of many extinct or extirpated endemic birds. Many of these birds were unknown to biologists during the historic period. Researchers attribute these extinctions primarily to human impact on the environment. The subfossil evidence appears to indicate that humans, either through predation or habitat alteration, affected the abundance of these birds. Many extinct taxa are presently dated to the "Holocene period." The disappearance of taxa during this large temporal period is attributed to colonizing humans who represented a new predator for which native species had no natural defense.;Despite the vast advances in this arena, researchers have not fully identified the relationship between extinct avifauna and pre-contact Hawaiians. The present model for avifaunal extinctions does not systematically address the problem of Hawaiian avian extinctions. We do not know the degree, for example, to which predation may have played in the decline of some bird taxa. For example, although land birds have been the primary focus in discussing the extinction process, seabird bones dominate most archaeological assemblages. These bones are often ignored.;If we want to understand the relationship between human colonization, subsistence, and extinction (or extirpation) the study of both land birds and seabirds are important. To address some of these issues I examine avifaunal specimens from a wide range of archaeological sites from the Island of Hawai`i. My research focuses specifically on Hawai`i Island in part because we know the least about its prehistoric bird taxa. In addition, because of its size, the island has many different environments (dryland, wetland, upland and lowland) which could potentially provide a number of suitable habitats for avifauna.;My primary focus is an analysis of faunal material from previously excavated archaeology projects. I use taphonomic methods to understand the effect of human predation. In addition to the faunal material, I also draw on paleobotanical (pollen and wood charcoal) studies from throughout the Hawaiian Islands for evidence of environmental alteration.