Hawaiian petrel Hawaiian petrel The Hawaiian petrel or uau ("Pterodroma sandwichensis") is a large, dark grey-brown and white petrel that is endemic to Hawaii. The Hawaiian petrel was formerly found on all the main Hawaiian Islands except Niihau, but today it is mostly restricted to Haleakalā crater on Maui; smaller populations exist on Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii, Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai, Lānaihale on Lānai, and possibly Molokai. It is also reportedly seen on the Galapagos Islands. Their diet consists of 50–75% squid, and smaller percentages of fish and crustaceans. The birds nest in burrows or rock
Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands island some 28 million years ago. Kure Atoll, a little further to the northwest, is near the Darwin point—defined as waters of a temperature that allows coral reef development to "just" keep up with isostatic sinking. And extending back in time before Kure, an even older chain of islands spreads northward nearly to the Aleutian Islands; these former islands, all north of the Darwin point, are now completely submerged as the Emperor Seamounts. The islands are well known for the environmental diversity that occurs on high mountains within a trade winds field. On a single island, the climate can differ