Rabbit Island is operated as a seabird
sanctuary and is operated by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
When viewed from certain angles, the island may look like the head of a bunny
rabbit, but the island, who’s proper name is Manana Island, takes its name
because politician John Adams Cummins started raising rabbits there in the
1880s. The rabbits were removed from the island in 1994, as they were
destroying the fragile ecosystem reserved for seabirds. Interestingly, there
were reportedly no birds on the island when Cummins introduced his rabbits
there.
It is against the law for people to be on
Rabbit Island or harass the birds or monk seals living on the island. The
island is home to between 170,000 and 260,000 birds. Many of the birds are
sooty terns. This bird seldom comes ashore except to breed, and has been known
to exist solely in the water for up to ten years. The island is also popular
for its brown noddies and black noddies. These two subspecies are unusual
because they nest in small trees and shrubs. When nesting, they are very easy
to catch so early sailors called them noddies, which can be translated
simpleton. The island is also popular with wedge-tailed shearwaters that
usually bond with one mate for life. When a divorce does happen, then the bird’s
breeding for that year is unsuccessful. The island is also popular with Bulwer’s
petrels, and Red-tailed tropicbirds.