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The site was identified as important in 2009 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species'):

Species	Current IUCN Red List Category	Season	Year(s)	Population estimate at site	IBA criteria met
Laysan Duck Anas laysanensis	CR	resident	2005	631 mature individuals	A1, A2, A4i
Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda	LC	breeding	1984	9,200 breeding pairs	A4ii
Tristram's Storm-petrel Hydrobates tristrami	LC	breeding	1984	5,500 breeding pairs	A1, A4ii
Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes	NT	breeding	2007	55,900 breeding pairs	A1, A4ii
Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis	NT	breeding	2007	617,000 breeding pairs	A1, A4ii
Bonin Petrel Pterodroma hypoleuca	LC	breeding	2007	315,000 breeding pairs	A4ii
Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica	LC	breeding	1984	225,000 breeding pairs	A4ii
Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis	LC	breeding	1984	2,700 breeding pairs	A4ii
Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii	LC	breeding	1984	90,000 breeding pairs	A4ii
Great Frigatebird Fregata minor	LC	breeding	1984	9,900 breeding pairs	A4ii
Red-footed Booby Sula sula	LC	breeding	1984	7,900 breeding pairs	A4ii
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra	LC	breeding	1984	1,700 breeding pairs	A4ii
Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva	LC	non-breeding	2000	1,992 individuals	A4i
Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis	NT	non-breeding	2004	800 individuals	A1, A4i
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	LC	non-breeding	2000	3,478 individuals	A4i
Blue Noddy Anous ceruleus	LC	breeding	1984	3,500 breeding pairs	A4i
Brown Noddy Anous stolidus	LC	breeding	1984	75,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Black Noddy Anous minutus	LC	breeding	1984	13,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Gygis alba	NR	breeding	1984	11,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus	LC	breeding	1984	1,500,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Grey-backed Tern Onychoprion lunatus	LC	breeding	1984	43,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Millerbird Acrocephalus familiaris	CR	resident	2007	481-1,147 males	A1, A2
Laysan Finch Telespiza cantans	VU	resident	1968-1990	5,000-20,000 mature individuals	A1, A2
Nihoa Finch Telespiza ultima	CR	resident	2007	2,060-3,550 mature individuals	A1, A2
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1984-2007	1,338,500 breeding pairs	A4iii
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding	1984-2005	1,570,000 breeding pairs	A4iii

The current IUCN Red List category may differ from that which was valid at the time of IBA criteria assessment (2009).

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - unintentional effects: large scale	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale	past (and unlikely to return) and no longer limiting	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	low
Climate change and severe weather	storms and floods	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - named species	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	industrial & military effluents - type unknown/unrecorded	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected-area designation	Management planning	Other conservation action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A comprehensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	high

For more information about IBA conservation status, please click here

Protected area (PA)	PA designation	PA area (ha)	Relationship of PA with IBA	Overlap of PA with IBA (ha)
Pearl And Hermes Reef	Research Natural Area	37,620	protected area contained by site	0
Pearl And Hermes Reef	Research Natural Area	772	protected area contained by site	0
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument	Marine National Monument	150,887,000	protected area contains site	34,136,200
Papahānaumokuākea	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	36,207,500	protected area overlaps with site	36,206,100
Nihoa Island	Research Natural Area	71	protected area contained by site	0
Necker Island	Research Natural Area	19	protected area contained by site	0
Midway Atoll	National Wildlife Refuge	236,530	protected area contained by site	0
Lisianski Island	Research Natural Area	154	protected area contained by site	0
Laysan Island	Research Natural Area	707	protected area contained by site	0
Hawaiian Islands	National Wildlife Refuge	726	protected area contained by site	0
Gardner Pinnacles	Research Natural Area	3	protected area contained by site	0
French Frigate Shoals	Research Natural Area	43,063	protected area contained by site	0

All of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are owned by the U.S. government except Kure, which is owned by the State of Hawaii.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/northwestern-hawaiian-islands-iba-usa on 06/12/2023.