Threats to Hawaiʻi’s endangered wildlife usually come in the form of habitat loss and degradation, disease, or predators. Recent incidents on Hawai‘i Island involving the ‘io, or Hawaiian hawk, shed light on another hazard:  human interactions.

Last month, a Mountain View community member found an emaciated ‘io on her property that was missing the upper portion of its beak. 

Raymond McGuire, a wildlife biologist with DOFAW, collected the ‘io and transferred it to the HWC. Examination of the hawk determined the injury wasn’t natural, but human caused. No longer able to feed itself, the bird had to be euthanized.

The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center received a tip the previous week about a posting on Craigslist that offered a free hawk in Mountain View. Posted photos of that bird showed similar feather, eye and cere (lump above the beak) color to the hawk they admitted, though it still had its full beak. The post has since been deleted. It hasn’t been determined if the two incidents are related.

In Hawaiʻi, endangered wildlife like the ‘io carry state protections. Hawai‘i Revised Statutes prohibit the “taking” of endangered or threatened species, which includes harming, killing, or otherwise disrupting them.

To report suspected illegal activity, call the DLNR enforcement hotline at 808-643-3567.

Photo credit: DLNR