Introducing the first Newell’s Shearwater chick to hatch within the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the Hawaiian island of Kauai

 
The first ever Newell’s Shearwater chick to hatch within the Nihoku exclosure

The Nihoku Ecosystem Restoration Project aims to create a new breeding site safe from introduced predators for two threatened seabirds on the Hawaiian island on Kauai.  The construction of a predator-fence within the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge allowed for the translocation and hand-feeding to fledging of chicks of the Endangered Hawaiian Petrel Pterodroma sandwichensis and Critically Endangered Newell’s Shearwater Puffinus newelli.  Breeding by the former species has already taken place.  Now the shearwater has followed by breeding within the fence as announced by the environmental NGO, Pacific Rim Conservation.

“Allow us to introduce to you, the first ever Newell’s shearwater chick to hatch within the Nihoku exclosure at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge!  This chick is the offspring of a male that was translocated as a chick in 2018, and an unbanded, socially attracted female.  This chick represents a major milestone for the Nihoku Ecosystem Restoration Project and we couldn’t be more proud!”

The first ever Newell’s Shearwater chick to hatch within the Nihoku exclosure

To learn more about Nihoku, visit www.nihoku.org and check out previous postings to ACAP Latest News on the project here.  Information and photographs from the Facebook page of the Pacific Rim Conservation

Reference:

Young, L.C., Kohley, C.R., VanderWerf, E.A., Fowlke, L., Casillas, D., Dalton, M., Knight, M., Pesque, A.,  Dittmar, E.M., Raine, A,F. & Vynne, M. 2023. Successful translocation of Newell’s Shearwaters and Hawaiian Petrels to create a new, predator free breeding colony. Frontiers in Conservation Science 4. doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1177789.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 August 2024