Millions of years ago, a small population of birds lived on the Hawaiian Islands. Over time, this population evolved into more than 54 separate species, each with different colors, beak shapes, and food sources. Which of the following best explains why the original population of birds evolved into so many different species? A Many of the birds were killed each time a volcano erupted on the Hawaiian Islands.

B The Hawaiian Islands had few predator species to decrease the lifespan of the birds.

C The bird population moved into and adapted to many different environments on the Hawaiian Islands.

D The climate of the Hawaiian Islands rarely changed, which helped the bird population to increase in size.