A Hawaiian petrel (By Jim Denny/kauaibirds.com)
The transition to digital television next February is an inconvenience for me and the dozen or so other Americans who still get their TV via antennas. But for Hawaiian petrels, which are already vulnerable, it could be life threatening.
To avoid the destruction of the petrels' nests, Hawaii has moved up the switch to digital TV to January 15, according to The Associated Press.
The birds nest on the slopes of Maui’s Haleakala volcano, and dismantling the old transmission towers in February could disrupt the beginning of the nesting season.
Even so, heavy equipment is not the Hawaiian petrels' greatest threat. The most imposing threat is disorienting city lights, as well as feral cats and mongooses, which feed on eggs.
The switch to digital TV will not eliminate any predators, unless a few cats decide to stay inside to watch Tom and Jerry reruns on the crisp picture that digital TV offers.
But Cathleen Bailey, a biologist at Haleakala National Park told The Associated Press that the removal of towers could boost the petrel population because the structures can interfere with their flight paths. "It'll be much better for the birds," she said.