Elliott & Guerra (2025)

Author Information

Linda Elliott and Juan Carlos Guerra: Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center

Hawai‘i Wildlife Center (HWC): 

Hawaiian archipelago seabird and shorebird rehabilitation patients treated at HWC September 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025 consisted of 763 seabirds (18 species) and 20 (3 species) shorebirds. 

  • Seabird species are listed in order of largest number cared for to lowest:
    • Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica)(ʻUaʻu kani) – 680
      • The majority of these shearwaters were downed fledglings due to light pollution or impact with structures
    • White tern (Gygis alba) (Manu-o-Kū) -27
      • Most of the terns are orphaned chicks that are raised and soft-released
    • Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) (ʻEwa ʻewa) -10
    • Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) (ʻUaʻu)-9
    • Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa)-8
    • Bulwerʻs Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) (ʻOu)-7
      • Majority are downed fledglings with short stays in care
    • White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) (Koaʻe kea)-6
    • Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) – 2
    • Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster plotus) (ʻĀ)- 2
    • Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) (Noio kōhā)- 2
    • Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) (ʻĀ)- 2
    • Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea)- 2
    • Black Noddy (Anous minutus melanogenys) (Noio) – 1
    • Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor palmerstoni) (ʻIwa) – 1
    • Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) (Mōlī) – 1
    • Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) (ʻĀ)- 1
    • Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaeithon rubricauda) (Koaʻe ʻula)- 1
    • Stejneher’s Petrel (Pterodroma longirostris) – 1
  • Shorebirds:
    • Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) (Kōlea)-18
    • Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) (ʻAkekeke) -1 
    • Wandering Tattler (Heteroscelus incanus) (ʻŪlili) – 1