Buller's Shearwater

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Buller's Shearwater

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Procellariiformes
Family:	Procellariidae
Genus:	Puffinus
Species:	P. bulleri

Binomial name

Puffinus bulleri
Salvin, 1888

Buller's Shearwater (Puffinus bulleri) is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae. The bird is 46-47 cm in size, with a 97-99 cm wingspan. The species is unusually easy to identify at sea (compared to other shearwaters) due to the distinctive M shaped bands across its back, uniquely among its genus and more akin to some Pterodroma gadfly petrels. It is a member of the black-billed wedge-tailed Thyellodroma group, forming a superspecies with the Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Austin, 1996; Austin et al, 2004); these belong to the larger shearwaters of the proposed genus Ardenna (Penhallurick & Wink, 2004).

This species is pelagic, occurring in the Pacific Ocean. It predominantly nests on two offshore islands off New Zealand. It is a transequatorial migrant, moving toward subarctic waters of the Pacific after raising its young. It is fairly common well off the west coast of the United States during late summer and early autumn.

Buller's Shearwater feeds mainly on fish, squid and crustaceans. It does occasionally follow small fishing boats.

This bird nests in burrows, rock crevices or under tree roots, preferring densely forested slopes or cliffs.

In the past, it was heavily used as a food source by the Māori culture, and has suffered heavy predation by feral pigs. However, the pigs were removed from the breeding islands, and the Shearwater population has recovered. The bird is abundant, with a worldwide population estimated of over 2 million birds, but its breeding sites are limited to 2 islands off the coast of New Zealand, so it is classified as vulnerable.

[edit] References

Austin, Jeremy J. (1996): Molecular Phylogenetics of Puffinus Shearwaters: Preliminary Evidence from Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene Sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 6(1): 77–88. DOI:10.1006/mpev.1996.0060 (HTML abstract)

Austin, Jeremy J.; Bretagnolle, Vincent & Pasquet, Eric (2004): A global molecular phylogeny of the small Puffinus shearwaters and implications for systematics of the Little-Audubon's Shearwater complex. Auk 121(3): 847–864. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121[0847:AGMPOT]2.0.CO;2 HTML abstract

'BirdLife International (2004). Puffinus bulleri. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of vulnerable,and the criteria used

Carboneras, Carles (1992): 58. Buller's Shearwater. In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (editors): Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks: 254, Plate 16. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-10-5

Harrison, Peter (1991): Seabirds: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin.

National Geographic Society (2002): Field Guide to the Birds of North America. National Geographic, Washington DC. ISBN 0-7922-6877-6

Penhallurick, John & Wink, Michael (2004): Analysis of the taxonomy and nomenclature of the Procellariformes based on complete nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Emu 104(2): 125-147. DOI:10.1071/MU01060 (HTML abstract)