Bird life is abundant, as is the rat population, according to E.H. Bryan[4] Feral cats used to exist, but recently died out.

Enderbury has been identified as the most important green sea turtle nesting area in the Phoenix Islands group.

[5] The 2000 surveys (Obura, et al.) identified that sites on the reef averaged 20–25% Live Coral Cover.

James J. Coffin from the British whaleship Transit and named after Samuel Enderby (1756–1829), owner of a London whaling company.

In March 1938, the U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt also declared Enderbury, along with the nearby island of Canton, to be under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Interior.

[3] These islands had been deemed a good strategic point for stopover of PanAm flights to Australia and New Zealand, though Enderbury itself was never used for this.