How a single ancestor sparked a spectacular burst of evolution in the Pacific

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: More than 60 species of Hawaiian honeycreepers evolved from one ancestral bird, creating a masterclass in adaptive radiation. Today, only 17 species remain, and researchers are using genetic data from museum specimens to map their complex family tree and understand why so many lineages have vanished forever.

The Hawaiian honeycreepers represent a classic example of adaptive radiation, where a single colonizing species rapidly diversifies to fill various ecological niches. Scientists estimate that this evolutionary 'big bang' occurred approximately 2.5 to 3.5 million years ago, coinciding with the formation of the island of O’ahu. This new landmass provided unoccupied habitats, allowing distinct populations to form and eventually exchange genetic material with lineages on older islands.

Mapping this history has been notoriously difficult due to the speed of the birds' diversification and the high rate of extinction. To overcome this, researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the National Museum of Natural History utilized advanced genetic sequencing on tiny samples of epidermis and fossil bones from museum collections. This work has revealed that the group’s history is more complex than previously understood, involving significant hybridization between species.

The findings are sobering, as they confirm the loss of more lineages than researchers had previously identified. Of the more than 60 species that existed since European contact in 1778, only 17 remain today. These survivors face ongoing threats from habitat loss, invasive predators, and introduced diseases like avian malaria and avipoxvirus. Current research is now focused on how these birds and their pathogens have evolved, hoping that genomic variation might offer clues into why some species have managed to survive while others have succumbed to extinction.

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