Hawksbill turtle - Population & Distribution
Only 5 populations worldwide with more than 1,000 females nesting annually
Previous Population and DistributionHawksbills declined globally by over 80% during the last century.
Current Population and Distribution
It is possible to estimate numbers of adult females on nesting beaches, but data are not available from all nesting sites. Even when data are recorded, numbers may be confused due to the uncertainty as to how many times an individual nests in a season. A recent estimate of adult nesting females of 8,000+ has been made. There are only five populations worldwide with more than 1,000 females nesting annually.
In northern Australia, there appear to be two separate breeding populations, each consisting of many nesting beaches. The closer colonies are related, while colonies separated by 2,700 km are genetically distinct. There is evidence that a nesting colony on Milman Island in Queensland, Australia is the largest hawksbill population in the world.
