Similar looking to the ʻakeʻake, Leach’s storm-petrel is a migrant visitor to Hawaiʻi. It is most commonly seen in Hawaiian waters from October to April. They can be distinguished with a keen eye from ʻakeʻake by a more forked tail, often a black central line down the middle of it’s white rump, and more erratic ...
Read More Leach’s storm-petrel
Archives by Month:
The sooty shearwater breeds in New Zealand, South East Australia and the southern tip of South America, but each year migrates north to take advantage of food in the Bering Sea. It is most commonly seen in Hawaiian waters moving north in March and April, and then again in September and October heading south. It ...
Read More sooty shearwater
The ʻuaʻu kani, or wedge-tailed shearwater, is the most abundant seabird across the state. This large shearwater is indigenous throughout the Pacific ocean and in Hawaiʻi this coastal burrowing seabird arrives in March to breed through September. Remarkably few breed on the Big Island compared to other Hawaiian Islands likely due to human impacts (like ...
Read More wedge-tailed shearwater
The ʻou is a small sooty brown petrel 11 inches long with a 23-inch wing span. Bill and legs are dark. They are usually seen near land during their breeding season (April – October). The map below shows hotspots along our birding trails where you might see this bird. Learn more by visiting our species profile ...
Read More Bulwer’s petrel
A little over a foot in size, the pied-billed grebe is normally a visitor to the Hawaiian Islands but they temporarily established a small breeding colony on Hawaiʻi Island from 1985 to 1993. They are mostly brown chunky birds with a large blocky head, slender neck, and thick bills. They can be found on small ...
Read More pied-billed grebe