How a seabird native to Hawaii has adapted to life in Honolulu’s concrete jungle

A seabird native to Hawaii is flourishing in the middle of Honolulu’s concrete towers, traffic-clogged roads and Waikiki hotels. The number of adult breeding white terns has jumped more than 50% in the past decade to 3,600. Called manu-o-Kū in Hawaiian, the birds are defying the fate of many other species native to Hawaii, where disease and predators have contributed to a collapse in Indigenous bird populations. Experts believe the seabirds may be thriving in the city in part because humans have reduced the number of predators like rats and cats around restaurants and buildings.

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