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Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR) is an important seabird breeding site located at the northeastern tip of Kauaʻi in the main Hawaiian Islands. Despite the regional significance of KPNWR as one of the most important breeding sites for red-tailed tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda), red-footed boobies (Sula sula), and wedge-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna pacifica) in the main Hawaiian Islands, robust and accurate population surveys have not been consistently conducted and recent information is lacking. In this study, we completed comprehensive population surveys for these three species during the 2019 breeding season. Using direct censusing methods (ground-searching, visual and photographic counts), we determined that 387 red-tailed tropicbird and 5,049 red-footed booby breeding pairs nested at KPNWR in 2019. Additionally, we performed surveys of aerially displaying tropicbirds to estimate a potential population of 30 white-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) breeding pairs at KPNWR. Using a stratified-random plot-sampling method, we estimated that 20,998 wedge-tailed shearwater pairs nested at KPNWR in 2019. The breeding population size results in this study are greater than those reported in the past for KPNWR. We suggest that the red-tailed tropicbird breeding population has increased since the mid-2000s (when population estimates were last made), whereas red-footed booby numbers likely have remained similar and 2019 results show an increase from past estimates because of the more comprehensive methods used in this study. The results of these surveys provide current and accurate population sizes for these species that can serve as (1) benchmarks for future management and monitoring at KPNWR and (2) important components of population-level assessments of seabird vulnerability to potential offshore wind energy development in the main Hawaiian Islands. Introduction Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR) is located at the northeastern tip of Kauaʻi in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI; fig. 1). The 199-acre refuge supports an abundant and diverse population of breeding seabird species, including the red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda, Koaʻe ula), white-tailed tropicbird (P. lepturus, Koaʻe kea), wedge-tailed shearwater (Ardenna pacifica, ʻUaʻu kani), Newell’s shearwater (Puffinus newelli, ʻAʻo), Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis, Mōlī), and red-footed booby (Sula sula, ‘ā; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2016). Additional non-breeding seabird species known to frequent KPNWR include the great frigatebird (Fregata minor, ʻiwa) and brown booby (Sula leucogaster, ʻā), whereas black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes, kaʻupu) and Kermadec petrel (Pterodroma neglecta) are infrequent visitors. The elevated sea cliffs at KPNWR are less vulnerable to rising seas and increased storm surges than most of the nesting habitat for these species in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2016). As the climate changes and sea levels rise, remaining high-island nesting habitat at KPNWR could become increasingly more important for these seabird species (Hatfield and others, 2012; Reynolds and others, 2015). To combat climate change and achieve 100-percent clean energy dependence by 2045, the State of Hawaiʻi has developed an energy initiative which includes offshore wind energy development (State of Hawaii, 2020). The potential effects on seabirds from offshore development is of management and conservation concern (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 2020). With expected changes in seabird habitats because of climate change and the possibility for additional external pressures brought on by offshore wind energy development, it is imperative to understand the current population sizes of breeding seabirds at important seabird nesting sites like KPNWR. 2 Population Estimates for Selected Breeding Seabirds at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kauaʻi, in 2019

Population estimates for selected breeding seabirds at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kauaʻi, in 2019