Puffinus bulleri

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PROCELLARIIFORMES	PROCELLARIIDAE

Scientific Name:

Puffinus bulleri

Species Authority:

Salvin, 1888

Common Name/s:

English

–

Buller's Shearwater

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable D2 ver 3.1

Year Published:

2010

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Calvert, R., Butchart, S., Bird, J.

Contributor/s:

Szabo, M.

Justification:
This species qualifies as Vulnerable because the population is restricted to a very small area when breeding, and remains at risk from the accidental introduction of predators and other catastrophes. If it succeeds in expanding its range, it may be downlisted to Near Threatened.

History:

2008	–	Vulnerable
2006	–	Vulnerable
2004	–	Vulnerable
2000	–	Vulnerable

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Puffinus bulleri breeds only at the Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand. The species is restricted to two main islands, Aorangi and Tawhiti Rahi, and five other islets and stacks⁴. In the 1980s, one pair was found breeding on the Simmonds Islands, in the far north of New Zealand⁵. Between 1938 and 1981, the population on Aorangi increased from c.200 to c.200,000 pairs^2,3. The total population is estimated at 2.5 million birds⁴, but it is unclear whether the population on Aorangi is still increasing⁵. It migrates to the northern Pacific Ocean, from Japan to North America and east to California, and is occasionally found off South America^3,5.
Countries:	Native: American Samoa; Australia; Canada; Chile; Cook Islands; French Polynesia; Marshall Islands; Mexico; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Niue; Norfolk Island; Peru; Russian Federation; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States Minor Outlying Islands; Wallis and Futuna Vagrant: Fiji; Japan Present - origin uncertain: Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Southern Territories (the); Kiribati; Nauru; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tokelau; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Marchant and Higgins (1990).
Population Trend:	Increasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It nests in burrows or on rock-crevices and ledges, often under dense vegetation. It feeds on krill, small fish, salps and jellyfish^3,4.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	It was previously caught in north Pacific drift-nets¹, and is still potentially at risk from set-nets. It may be caught on longlines, in trawling operations and on hand and reel lines, but little documented evidence is available⁵. Domestic pigs were previously a threat (removed in 1936), and the species would be at risk of mammalian predators if introduced. The species is potentially threatened by climate change because it has a geographically bounded distribution: it is restricted to an island or islands with a maximum altitude of 218 m (BirdLife International, unpublished data).

Major Threat(s):

It was previously caught in north Pacific drift-nets¹, and is still potentially at risk from set-nets. It may be caught on longlines, in trawling operations and on hand and reel lines, but little documented evidence is available⁵. Domestic pigs were previously a threat (removed in 1936), and the species would be at risk of mammalian predators if introduced. The species is potentially threatened by climate change because it has a geographically bounded distribution: it is restricted to an island or islands with a maximum altitude of 218 m (BirdLife International, unpublished data).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway The eradication of pigs from Aorangi in 1936 caused a massive increase in the population, the recolonisation probably coming from the nearby predator-free island, Tawhiti Rahi³. Fishing has been banned at the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve since 1996 and entry onto the island reserve is prohibited⁶. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) established the world's first mandatory "area to be avoided" (ATBA) for large shipping vessels, including oil tankers, around the islands in 2004⁶. Conservation Actions Proposed Complete an accurate population census. Assess current status of breeding on Simmonds Islands. Identify any signs of prospecting on other island groups. Establish monitoring plots on Poor Knights to determine rate and pattern of colony expansion⁵. Quantify the impact of bycatch during fishing activities. If judged necessary, work with fisheries to develop bycatch reduction measures.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
The eradication of pigs from Aorangi in 1936 caused a massive increase in the population, the recolonisation probably coming from the nearby predator-free island, Tawhiti Rahi³. Fishing has been banned at the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve since 1996 and entry onto the island reserve is prohibited⁶. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) established the world's first mandatory "area to be avoided" (ATBA) for large shipping vessels, including oil tankers, around the islands in 2004⁶.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Complete an accurate population census. Assess current status of breeding on Simmonds Islands. Identify any signs of prospecting on other island groups. Establish monitoring plots on Poor Knights to determine rate and pattern of colony expansion⁵. Quantify the impact of bycatch during fishing activities. If judged necessary, work with fisheries to develop bycatch reduction measures.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2010. Puffinus bulleri. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012.
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