Four environmental groups yesterday sued the St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kaua'i, saying the resort's lights contribute to the deaths of seabirds.

The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of Hui Ho'omalu i Ka 'Āina, the Conservation Council for Hawai'i, the Center for Biological Diversity and the American Bird Conservancy.

They say the resort's lights confuse Newell's shearwaters and Hawaiian petrels, which follow moonlight out to sea, leading to the seabirds' deaths.

The suit accuses the resort of violating the federal Endangered Species Act by failing to prevent the ongoing deaths of rare native seabirds.

St. Regis Princeville general manager Milton Sgarbi said in March that the hotel has been taking steps to allow the birds to reach the ocean safely since 2005.