Grounded Seabirds
Every fall, young seabirds leave their nests for the first time and fly across the island over developed areas and out to sea. Some of them become distracted by artificial lights, collide with man-made structures, and fall to the ground. When grounded seabirds are found by community members, Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project staff (as agents of DOFAW) respond immediately and retrieve them. If you find a seabird on the ground outside of an active seabird colony, please call us at 808-573-BIRD (2473) and see our Found A Bird? page for more information.
Retrieval
All birds recovered by Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project go through a thorough health examination by trained staff. In rare cases, a bird may be injured, dirty, or malnourished. Birds with need for rehabilitation are referred to the Hawaii Wildlife Center for state of the art rehabilitation and return to the wild. It is illegal to attempt to rehabilitate seabirds yourself. Good Samaritan law permits rescuing birds in danger or distress. A rescuer is permitted to transport downed birds to authorized state or federal responders; MNSRP is an authorized agent of the state for downed bird rescue. It is a violation of the law to possess any seabird other than to rescue it and transport it to an authorized recipient. MNSRP retrieves birds from civilians, businesses, county properties, and wind power facilities.
Release
Typically less than 1 day after picking up grounded seabirds, Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project Staff releases them! All released birds are banded with a metal band bearing a unique identification number which allows MNSRP to learn more about individual birds when they return to Maui Nui.
Programs that utilize these methods: Save Our Seabirds
