Wildlife of Hawaii — Big Island
The Big Island holds the last populations of many honeycreepers found nowhere else — 'i'iwi, 'apapane, 'akiapōlā'au. Offshore, humpback whales calve every winter, spinner dolphins spin in coastal bays, and green sea turtles bask on black-sand beaches.
Best timeDecember – April for humpback whales, year-round for endemic birds.
- 1Hawaii has more endangered species per square mile than anywhere in the world.
- 2Green sea turtles bask on volcanic-sand beaches — a behaviour rare elsewhere.
- 3Nēnē geese cross park roads at Volcanoes NP.
Signature species
Curated for Hawaii — Big Island, each tagged with its IUCN Red List status.
- NT
Nēnē (Hawaiian goose)
Branta sandvicensis
- EN
Hawaiian monk seal
Neomonachus schauinslandi
- EN
Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas
- CR
Palila
Loxioides bailleui
- LC
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
IUCN codes — EX extinct · EW extinct in wild · CR critically endangered · EN endangered · VU vulnerable · NT near threatened · LC least concern · DD data deficient
Dos & don'ts
Local etiquette that keeps wildlife wild.
Do
- Stay 3m from resting monk seals and turtles.
- Rinse fins with fresh water — protect corals from crossover disease.
- Keep distance — use zoom or binoculars, never bait animals closer.
- Stay on marked trails to avoid trampling nests, burrows and plants.
Don't
- Don't use non-reef-safe sunscreen — it's banned.
- Don't drive off marked roads on Mauna Kea — palila habitat.
- Never feed wildlife — human food changes behaviour and shortens lives.
- Don't share exact locations of nests, dens or rare species online.
Spotted here lately
Live from iNaturalist — research-grade observations within 80km, last 30 days.
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