Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_white_tailed_eagle

White-tailed Eagle

Haliaeetus albicilla

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White-tailed Eagle — Adult (left) · juvenile (right) · OpenAI image generation including flattened footer; Atlas size exports · AI-generated artwork; no third-party photograph reproduced · Image source

About White-tailed Eagle

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is recorded as a vagrant on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.

Kauaʻi evidence

Bishop Museum island checklist (version 2, 2017) lists Kauaʻi status V: vagrant. See original island table. The record includes Kauaʻi-specific or clearly defined regional evidence appropriate to its stated occurrence status.

Occurrence evidence

bishop_island_checklist_2017

Names and classification

Scientific name: Haliaeetus albicilla
Common names: White-tailed Eagle
Family: Accipitridae
Order: Accipitriformes
Record type: Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence: Kauaʻi documented: vagrant (2017 island checklist)
Origin: Vagrant visitor
Conservation status: Not assessed
Evidence date: 2026-09-13
Evidence limits: Island occurrence supported by the 2017 checklist; abundance and current year presence are not established here

Habitat and ecology

Habitats: Forest · Coastal habitat · Cliffs
Food and resource needs: White-tailed Eagle consumes fish, birds, and carrion
Reproduction: Breeding on Kauaʻi is not established; seasonal resting and foraging habitat may be relevant.
Shelter: Shelter and structure within forest, coastal habitat, cliffs.

Threats and conservation

Threats: Temporary apex-predator interaction with albatrosses and refuge seabirds, not a resident ecosystem threat
Conservation actions: Treat future reports as rare-vagrant events requiring date, location, behavior, prey/perch, images if available, and expert review
Monitoring: Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
Data gaps: Update island status with dated contemporary records · Specific Kauaʻi habitat and abundance need local evidence

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing: Confirmed Kauai Rare Vagrant 2006 2007
Seasonal description: White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is recorded as a vagrant on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.

Sources and further reading

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