Hawksbill Sea Turtle Facts for Kids

Picture a sea turtle with a pointy beak like a bird, a shell that looks like a stained glass window, and a favorite food you might never guess. That is the hawksbill sea turtle. Hawksbills live around coral reefs in warm oceans, and they are listed as critically endangered.

Here are kid-friendly facts, checked against trusted science and conservation sources, plus ways kids can help these amazing animals.

How did the hawksbill get its name?

Hawksbills get their name from their beak-like mouth. NOAA Fisheries (opens in a new tab) explains that the hawksbill's tapered head and V-shaped lower jaw give it a "hawk-like appearance." Scientists call it Eretmochelys imbricata.

What does a hawksbill look like?

Hawksbills are beautiful turtles, and they are fun to color. Here is what to look for:

• A patterned shell: NOAA Fisheries describes the shell as mottled with shades of amber, orange, red, yellow, black and brown, with jagged, saw-like edges.
• Overlapping plates: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (opens in a new tab) notes that the shell is covered in overlapping plates called scutes.
• A yellowish belly: The underside is yellowish, sometimes with black spots.
• Clawed flippers: Each flipper has two claws.
• A narrow head: The National Park Service (opens in a new tab) points out that the head is narrow, with two pairs of scales in front of the eyes.

How big are they? Adults are about 2 to 3 feet long and can weigh more than 100 pounds. Hatchlings start out tiny, only about 2 to 3 inches long, and are mostly brown, according to NOAA Fisheries. Young hawksbills have heart-shaped shells (opens in a new tab), which is a sweet detail to add to a drawing.

What do hawksbills eat?

Sponges! Hawksbills munch on sea sponges, which grow on coral reefs. NOAA Fisheries says the hawksbill is the only sea turtle that can survive on a diet made up mainly of sponges (opens in a new tab).

That pointy beak is the perfect tool. According to NOAA Fisheries, hawksbills' sharp beaks let them reach into small holes and crevices in the reef to find food. Besides sponges, they also eat things like algae, corals, mollusks, sea urchins, small fish and jellyfish.

Where do hawksbills live?

Hawksbills live in tropical and subtropical waters of all the major oceans. Adults spend most of their time near the shore, especially around healthy coral reefs, NOAA Fisheries says. The Fish and Wildlife Service adds that they are found in places like rocky areas, coral reefs, lagoons and shallow coastal waters, and are rarely found in water deeper than 65 feet.

Baby hawksbills have a different home. After hatching, most head out to the open ocean, where they shelter in floating mats of algae and drifting lines of ocean debris for about 1 to 5 years before moving closer to shore.

In the United States, NOAA Fisheries says the most important hawksbill nesting happens in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the U.S. Pacific, they nest mainly in Hawaii, and nesting in Florida is rare.

How do hawksbills nest?

Hawksbills spend their lives in the ocean, but mothers come ashore to lay eggs. Here is how it works, according to NOAA Fisheries (opens in a new tab):

1. At night, a female crawls up onto a small, quiet beach. Hawksbills often nest on remote "pocket" beaches.
2. She digs a nest in the sand and lays an average of 130 to 160 eggs.
3. She nests three to five times in one season, and returns to nest again every few years.
4. The eggs incubate in the warm sand for about two months.
5. The hatchlings dig out and head for the water. They find the sea by moving away from the dark shape of the dunes and toward the brighter horizon over the ocean.

NOAA Fisheries also notes that sand temperature matters. Higher sand temperatures can harm eggs or change how many hatchlings turn out male or female.

Growing up slowly

Hawksbills take a long time to grow up. NOAA Fisheries says they reach adulthood between 20 and 35 years of age. Their exact lifespan is not known, but scientists estimate they may live 50 to 60 years.

Why are hawksbills endangered?

Hawksbills are in serious trouble. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the hawksbill as Critically Endangered (opens in a new tab), and the Duke University OBIS-SEAMAP (opens in a new tab) species page shows the same global status. In the United States, NOAA Fisheries says hawksbills are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and they were first listed in 1970. Under that law, an endangered species is one in danger of extinction (opens in a new tab) throughout all or a big part of its range.

The biggest reason is their beautiful shell. People have hunted hawksbills for their shell, often called "tortoiseshell," to make jewelry and decorations. The Sea Turtle Conservancy (opens in a new tab) calls the harvesting of their shell the greatest threat to hawksbills. The Fish and Wildlife Service explains that the legal shell trade ended when Japan agreed to stop importing it in 1993, but illegal trade still continues.

Hawksbills face other dangers too, NOAA Fisheries says, including:

• Getting caught by accident in fishing gear
• People taking turtles and eggs
• Habitat loss
• Boat strikes
• Ocean trash
• Climate change

How kids can help

You do not have to live near the ocean to help sea turtles. These ideas come from NOAA Fisheries (opens in a new tab):

• Cut down on trash. Less litter means less trash that can reach the ocean. Ask your family to throw away fishing line properly and to skip releasing balloons.
• Keep beaches dark at night. If you visit a nesting beach, turn off or shield bright lights so mothers can nest and hatchlings can find the sea.
• Clean up after beach days. Take chairs, umbrellas and other beach gear home at the end of the day.
• Give turtles space. Never touch or feed a sea turtle, and do not disturb nests or hatchlings.
• Tell a grown-up. If you see a stranded, hurt or tangled sea turtle, ask an adult to contact trained responders.

Because the shell trade is such a big threat, families can also help by never buying souvenirs that might be made from sea turtle shell.

Want to learn more? Our book Turtley Awesome is full of hawksbill facts for kids. You can also share what you know: color a hawksbill, label its beak, scutes and flippers, and teach a friend one fact from this page.

Try it

• Color a reef scene with free sea life coloring pages.
• Explore more free animal coloring pages.
• Read Talking to Kids About Endangered Animals for ways to keep conversations hopeful.
• Teachers, see Using Coloring Pages in the Classroom for science tie-ins.