Summary:
- This article discusses a new study that challenges the long-held belief that native Hawaiians were responsible for the extinction of many bird species in the islands.
- The study found that climate change and the introduction of invasive species, such as rats and mongooses, were the primary drivers of bird extinctions in Hawaii, not human hunting or habitat destruction by native Hawaiians.
- The findings suggest that the narrative of native Hawaiians as "savage" or "brutal" towards the environment is a myth, and that the real culprits behind the bird extinctions were the environmental changes brought about by colonization and industrialization.