HIFB started in 2016 to showcase Hawai‘i’s bird species, encourage nature and environmental awareness and promote the Hawaii Island Coast to Coast Birding Trail. HIFB sought to broaden Hawai‘i Island’s brand beyond ocean and volcano-based activities by inspiring visitors and residents to experience Hawai‘i as a birding and ecotour destination. When the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, a nonprofit wildlife conservation organization and native bird hospital and rehabilitation center, took over control of HIFB the festival focus spotlighted native species awareness and appreciation.

HIFB remains under the management of the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center. The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center is a state- and region-wide wildlife response and conservation organization. HWC programs include disaster response and responder training, contingency planning, research and hands-on wildlife rehabilitation at our wildlife hospital in Kapaʻau on Hawaiʻi Island. The vision of the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center is a world where native species recover and thrive through comprehensive conservation strategies and partnerships. HIFB 2020 was a virtual event due to the pandemic and was the host of Hawk Week in October 2022. In 2023 Hawai‘i Wildlife Center is partnering with Conservation Council for Hawai‘i to bring back an in-person festival. The 2023 festival will take place at the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo on October 21. The Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo is the exclusive hotel partner of the 2023 Hawai‘i Island Festival of Birds.

The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of protecting, conserving, and aiding in the recovery of Hawaii’s native wildlife through hands-on treatment, research, training, science education and cultural programs. HWC is the first organization of its kind exclusively for native Hawaiian wildlife and provides state-of-the-art care and rehabilitation for native animals as well as comprehensive wildlife rescue training and public education and outreach programs. The HWC is not a zoo or a preserve, it is a professional organization that focuses on treating and rehabilitating sick, injured and oiled wildlife for release back into the wild

Conservation Council for Hawai‘i (CCH) is one of Hawai‘i’s oldest and most effective wildlife organizations. Since 1950, CCH has been on the forefront of the environmental movement in Hawai‘i and a leader in shaping some of the most important environmental policies and programs in the Islands. As the Hawai‘i state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation, CCH has a voice on Capitol Hill on national issues affecting Hawai‘i.  CCH is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit grassroots organization based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i and is solely responsible for its own governance, program, and fundraising.