viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com Web excerpt · 2026
“The Brown Booby below was seen while we were on a shuttle boat to the island of St.”
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 208 spp. recorded
Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge on the northwest coast of the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaiʻi. Kīlauea Lighthouse was built in 1913. Kīlauea Point, a narrow, lava peninsula protruding from the northern shore of Kauaʻi, that the lighthouse was built upon was purchased from the Kīlauea Sugar Plantation Company in 1909. In 1976, the Coast Guard deactivated the lighthouse and replaced it with an automatic beacon. In 1979, the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The refuge was established in 1985 to preserve and enhance seabird nesting colonies after the property was transferred from the United States Coast Guard. In 1988, the refuge was expanded to include Crater Hill and Mōkōlea Point.
Management programs protect the seabird nesting habitat and cooperate with the State of Hawaii to monitor the nēnē population and a newly recruited Newell's shearwater population, among other native Hawaiian seabird species.
22.228° N 159.399° W
🦜 Nature
78 Species sighted
15,138 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Dec Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
Recent sightings in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a dayavg 14 year-round
15
No data
Jan14
No data
Feb16
No data
Mar15
No data
Apr14
No data
May14
No data
Jun15
No data
Jul14
No data
Aug13
No data
Sep15
No data
Oct15
No data
Nov16
No data
DecSighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Birds Watching
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
-20°
0° 0
20° 300
40° 600 mm
Jan141Feb162Mar211Apr196May172Jun169Jul223Aug189Sep158Oct150Nov156Dec181
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 148
🐒 Mammals 37
🦎 Reptiles 18
🐸 Amphibians 5
208 Total Species
810 Global average across 340 parks
24 Threatened 17 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
73% 📊
Coverage (36 species at ≥5% of 208 in the inventory)
17% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 reptile)
20% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
27 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
5 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
18 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.0
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
Your review
Before you go
What animals can you see in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge?
208 species
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge has 208 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Red-footed Booby (over 90%), Hawaiian Goose (about 90%), Great Frigatebird (about 90%), White-tailed Tropicbird (about 80%) and Brazilian Cardinal (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Humpback Whale (about 30%); among reptiles, Brown Anole (about 60%); among amphibians, Eastern Cane Toad (about 30%).
When is the best time to visit Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge for wildlife?
March, May and July
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 70% in April, June and August–February.
Can you see a Red-footed Booby in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge?
Yes
Over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Red-footed Booby sighting in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 2,088 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–May, July and September–October (over 90%).
Can you see a Hawaiian Goose in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Hawaiian Goose sighting in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 1,529 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is October to December (over 90%).
Can you see a Laysan Albatross in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Laysan Albatross sighting in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 879 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December to April (about 90%).
Can you see a Humpback Whale in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Humpback Whale sighting in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March (about 60%).
Is Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge good for wildlife watching?
2.6 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge rates 2.6/5: 330th of 340 parks worldwide and 57th in North America. 18 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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