Changes to low-elevation ecosystems caused the downfall of many if not all major forest birds on Kauai. These changes began when the first Polynesians settled on the island and logged and cleared some of the arable land for crops. With new settlers, invasive plants and animals entered the Hawaiian Islands. Today, only about of Kauai have not been drastically altered. Many avian diseases and parasites also pose a major threat to Hawaii's forest birds. Dramatic forest fires on the islands in the past caused further habitat destruction for the Kauai ʻakialoa.