White et al. (2024a)

Author Information

Laney White, Josh Adams, Emma Kelsey, Jonathan Felis, and Robert Klinger: USGS Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

USGS WERC Seabird Studies Team: Hawaii PSG Regional Report 2024

Haleakalā Volcano on east Maui supports critical nesting habitat for endangered ‘Ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel, Pterodroma sandwichensis). As part of continuing efforts to catalog breeding seabirds throughout the State of Hawaii (supported by USGS and BOEM), Josh Adams, Jonathan Felis, Emma Kelsey, and Rob Klinger (USGS WERC), working with partners in Maui, used environmentally informed distribution modeling applied to Hawaiian petrel nest site locations to predict relative nesting abundance across Haleakalā. Their results indicated that conservation efforts could be successful at lower elevations, provided that nesting petrels were protected from invasive predators, grazing ungulates, and significant land alteration.   

Adams, J., Felis, J.J., Klinger, R., Kelsey, E.C., Tamayose, J., Kaholoa‘a, R., Bailey, C., Penniman, J.F., Learned, J., Ganter, C., Medeiros, J., Huisheng Chen, H. (2023). Predicted distribution of ‘Ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel Pterodroma sandwichensis) nest sites on Haleakalā, Maui. Endangered Species Research, 52, 231-246. DOI: 10.3354/esr01280