Eustolas sp.
The new apex predator of the Hawaiian islands, Eustolas can grow up to 1.2 meters in height. It is too large to fly, but is an adept terrestrial predator. Unusually for an owl, its feathers have a greenish hue to them. It is randomly active through the day and night, preying on wharf rats, birds, notters, and carrion washed onto the shore. Eustolas mates for life unless one partner dies, and usually nests in higher grounds away from shore.
There have been numerous previous instances of owls growing in size and adopting terrestrial lifestyles on islands: the stilt-owls (Grallistrix), the Cuban giant owl (Ornimegalonyx), and the Andros Island barn owl (Tyto pollens). This course of evolution has occurred once more in future Hawaii, with barn owls providing the ancestral stock. There are five species of Eustolas, one for each major island in the chain, which display subtle differences in size and plumage.









