Birdwatching in Hawaii 2024-2025

Hawaii is located far away from any continent and thus is home to some rare endemic birds. The Hawaiian Honeycreeper family, once over 50 species of forest birds, now with only 18 species left, is a must-see for birders around the world. Rare and endangered ’Akiapola’au, found only on the Big Island of Hawaii, is a Honeycreeper that has evolved into a kind of a woodpecker. You have a chance to spot it along Pu‘u La‘au trail, west of Mauna Kea State Park. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is another excellent spot to see the Hawaiian Hawk or ‘Io and the White-tailed Tropicbird or Koa‘e‘kea.

Alala, an endangered crow, is extinct in the wild. I’iwi, native Hawaiian nectar feeder, found on all of the main Hawaiian Islands, in rainforests. Also, millions of seabirds gather on the northwestern chain of Hawaiian Islands. During the winter months, Laysan Albatross breed at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and are easily seen along with boobies, tropicbirds, frigatebirds, petrels and shearwaters.