Nihoa Island

Other names: Bird Island, Moku Manu

Geography: Tallest of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Distance from Honolulu: 280 miles

Highest point: 903 feet

Type of island: High island

Acreage dry land: 170 acres

Coral reefs within 13.8 miles: 140,554 acres

History: Well known to early Hawaiians, particularly those from Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau. Nihoa is 150 miles and beyond view from Kaua‘i. Extensively covered with Hawaiian-style prehistoric agricultural terraces and house sites, but was uninhabited at European contact.

Biology notes: Coastal scrub vegetation. The Nihoa fan palm, Pritchardia remota, is its only tree. Two endangered birds native to the island are the Nihoa millerbird and Nihoa finch. Six species of land snails are native here. Monk seals haul out on the rocky shore, and sharks abound in nearshore waters.