Featured Species

Conservation of wildlife species that are endangered or threatened is a key goal of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Many such species occur at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge. Our management practices take into account species listed by both State and Federal governments.

James Campbell NWR provides habitat for four endangered Hawaiian waterbirds: ae‘o, ‘alae ke‘oke‘o, ‘alae ‘ula, and koloa maoli, as well as a variety of seabirds, migratory shorebirds, and migratory waterfowl. You may also observe the native ‘auku‘u, state-protected pueo, and endangered ʻōpeʻapeʻa. At the beach, you may be able to observe the threatened honu, endangered honu ʻea, and endangered ʻīlioholoikauaua.

A small, round black bird with a red spot on its forehead

The Hawaiian coot is smaller in body size than the American coot, & the bulbous frontal shield above the bill is distinctly larger than that of the American coot & is usually completely white (Shallenberger 1977; Pratt et al. 1987). From 1 to 3 percent of the total Hawaiian coot...

A small, round black bird with a red beak and crown walking through grass. The bird is calling out.

The Hawaiian common moorhen is recognized as a distinct subspecies, differing from other races in having a red blush on the front & sides of the tarsus (Taylor 1998). However, there are no evident plumage or measurement differences from forms in North America (Wilson and Evans 1890-1899;...

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Hawaiian stilt flying in the sky

The Hawaiian Stilt is a slender wading bird that grows up to 16 inches in length. It has a black back and white forehead, and is white below; the female has a tinge of brown on its back. This endangered species has very long pink legs and a long black bill. The Hawaiian subspecies differs from...

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A black and brown duck with orange feet

The Hawaiian Duck or koloa, is generally mottled brown and has a green to blue speculum (the distinctive feathers on the secondary wing feathers) with white borders. Adult males tend to have a darker head and neck feathers (sometimes green). Both sexes have orange legs and feet. Females have a...

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Hylaeus longiceps is historically known from coastal and lowland dry shrubland habitat up to 2,000 ft (610 m) in numerous locations on the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai, and Oahu. Perkins (1899, p. 98) noted H. longiceps was locally abundant, and probably occurred throughout much of the leeward...
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A green sea turtle swims along the bottom of the reef.

The green sea turtle grows to a maximum size of about 4 feet and a weight of 440 pounds. It has a heart-shaped shell, small head, and single-clawed flippers. Color is variable. Hatchlings generally have a black carapace, white plastron, and white margins on the shell and limbs. The adult...

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bird flying up above with clouds

Adult Black-footed Albatross are large seabirds though small compared with other albatross species. They are very long with narrow wings, mostly dusky brown, white at the base of their bill and under eye, and have a large bill. Juveniles are similar to adults, but usually have less white at the...

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Sesbania tomentosa, a member of the in the pea family (Fabaceae), is usually an erect to prostrate shrub and sometimes a small, erect tree. When prostrate, the branches are up to 14 m (45 ft) long. Trees are 2.5 to 6.0 m (8.2 to 20.0 ft) tall. Each compound leaf consists of 18 to 38 oblong to...
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Koʻoola ʻula, a pink flower sits amongst green leaves

Abutilon menziesii is a shrub in the mallow family (Malvaceae) 2 to 2.5 meters (6.6 to 8.2 feet) tall with coarsely-toothed, silvery, heart-shaped leaves 2 to 8 centimeters (0.8 to 3.2 inches) long. The flowers are medium red to dark red and about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) across. The capsules...

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