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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') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
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	NT	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	EN	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

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2009) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2009) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	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	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	past (and unlikely to return) and no longer limiting	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other 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

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Hawaiian Islands	National Wildlife Refuge	<1
1967	French Frigate Shoals	Research Natural Area	<1
1967	Pearl And Hermes Reef	Research Natural Area	<1
1967	Pearl And Hermes Reef	Research Natural Area	<1
1967	Laysan Island	Research Natural Area	<1
1967	Lisianski Island	Research Natural Area	<1
1967	Nihoa Island	Research Natural Area	<1
1967	Necker Island	Research Natural Area	<1
1967	Gardner Pinnacles	Research Natural Area	<1
1988	Midway Atoll	National Wildlife Refuge	1
2006	Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument	Marine National Monument	100
2010	Papahānaumokuākea	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	100

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 (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (USA). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/northwestern-hawaiian-islands-iba-usa on 23/11/2024.