![]() Hawksbill turtles use a variety of habitats during different stages of their life cycle, but largely inhabit nearshore foraging grounds, especially healthy coral reef habitats. ![]() However, some hawksbill populations, such as Hawaiian hawksbills, migrate shorter distances and stay within the island chain. Solomon Island hawksbills can travel 500 to 1000 miles (800 to 1,650 kilometers) between Arnavon nesting beaches and foraging areas off Australia. Virgin Islands was tracked 1,160 miles to foraging habitat in the Miskito Cays in Nicaragua. In the Atlantic, a female hawksbill that nested at Buck Island Reef National Monument in the U.S. Like other sea turtle species, hawksbills can migrate long distances between foraging areas and nesting beaches. The shape of their mouth and their sharp beaks enable them to reach into small holes and crevices in the reefs to find food. In Hawaii, they tend to be opportunistic given the limited availability of sponges. ![]() ![]() They will also eat marine algae, corals, mollusks, tunicates, crustaceans, sea urchins, small fish, and jellyfish. Hawksbill turtles are omnivorous (feeding on both plants and other animals), but their preferred food in many areas is sea sponges. The 2013 ESA 5-year review of the hawksbill sea turtle provides additional information for this species. In the Eastern Pacific, approximately 700 females nest annually from Mexico to Peru. This population may constitute one of the smallest hawksbill nesting populations in the world, but is the largest in the Central North Pacific Ocean. Pacific, hawksbills nest primarily in Hawaii where 10 to 25 females nest annually on beaches along the south coast of the island of Hawaii and the east coast of the island of Molokai. In the continental United States, nesting is rare and is restricted primarily to the southeast coast of Florida and the Florida Keys. Each year, about 500 to 1,000 hawksbill nests are laid on Mona Island, Puerto Rico and another 100 to 150 nests on Buck Island Reef National Monument off St. The most significant nesting within the United States occurs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. In the Atlantic, the greatest number of hawksbill nests are laid in Mexico, Cuba, and Barbados, but nesting occurs throughout the Insular Caribbean. Around 2,000 hawksbills nest each year in Indonesia and 1,000 in the Republic of Seychelles. Arnavon hawksbills have been heavily exploited for their shell for centuries, but two decades of conservation and monitoring efforts are showing encouraging signs of recovery. The largest rookery for hawksbill turtles in the South Pacific Ocean is in the Arnavon Islands of the Solomon Islands, where approximately 2,000 hawksbill nest each year. Approximately 2,000 hawksbills nest annually on the northwest coast of Australia and 6,000 to 8,000 nest annually in the vicinity of the Great Barrier Reef. The largest nesting populations of hawksbill turtles occur in Australia and Solomon Islands. The largest populations of hawksbills are found in the west Atlantic (Caribbean), Indian, and Indo-Pacific Oceans. Hawksbill turtles often nest in small numbers, and usually on remote beaches. And we fund research, monitoring, and conservation projects to implement priorities outlined in recovery plans. We engage our partners as we develop measures and recovery plans that foster the conservation and recovery of hawksbill turtles and their habitats. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and recover this endangered species. NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to protecting and recovering hawksbill turtle populations worldwide. Today, the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) forbids the trade of any turtle products on the international market, including hawksbill tortoise shell, but illegal hunting continues to represent a threat to the species in many parts of the world. The historical hunting and killing of hawksbills for their shell nearly drove the species to extinction. In many parts of the world, hawksbills face the unique threat of being hunted for their beautiful shell, also known as “tortoise shell”, which is used by craftspeople to create many types of jewelry and trinkets. Hawksbill turtles play a key role in the function of marine ecosystems. They are the only species of sea turtle that can survive on a diet consisting mainly of sponges. Hawksbills get their name from their unique beak-like mouth, which resembles that of a hawk and is perfect for finding food sources in hard-to-reach cracks and crevices. Hawksbill sea turtles inhabit the tropical and sub-tropical waters of all of the world’s major oceans.
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