Thalassarche 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	Diomedeidae

Scientific Name:

Thalassarche bulleri

Species Authority:

(Rothschild, 1893)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Buller's Albatross, Buller's Mollymawk

Synonym/s:

Diomedea bulleri

Taxonomic Notes:

Diomedea bulleri (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) is retained as a species in the genus Thalassarche following Brooke (2004) contra Robertson and Nunn (1998) who split it into T. bulleri and T. platei.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Near Threatened ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

BirdLife International

Evaluator/s:

Butchart, S., Mahood, S. (BirdLife International Red List Authority) & Small, C. (BirdLife International Global Seabird Programme)

Justification:
This species has been downlisted to Near Threatened because, although it is restricted to a tiny small area when breeding, the population is stable, the islands on which it breeds are moderately widely spread so that it is unlikely to become highly threatened in a short time owing to human activities or stochastic events.

History:

2005	–	Vulnerable
2004	–	Vulnerable
2003	–	Vulnerable
2000	–	Vulnerable
1994	–	Lower Risk/near threatened
1988	–	Lower Risk/least concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Thalassarche bulleri is endemic to New Zealand. There are colonies on the Snares (8,877 pairs) and Solander (4,912) Islands in the south^6,10,18, Forty-Fours (16,000) and Big and Little Sister (2,130) Islands in the Chatham Island group, and Rosemary Rock, Three Kings Islands (20) off North Island². The Snares Islands population has almost doubled since 1969, but the rate of increase has declined in the 1990s^6,10. The Solander Islands population appears to have remained relatively stable during 1985-1996, and has increased by around 18% during 1996-2002¹⁰. Breeding and non-breeding adults forage between 40 and 50°S from Tasmania eastwards to the Chatham Rise^{11,12,13,17,18}. Females from the Snares Islands tend to conduct longer more distant foraging trips during pre-egg and brood guard periods of the breeding cycle, than males¹⁷. Juveniles and non-breeding adults can disperse across the south Pacific Ocean to the west coast of South America^9,12,14.
Countries:	Native: Australia; Chile; New Zealand; Peru Vagrant: Antarctica; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); South Africa
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Indian Ocean – eastern; Pacific – southeast; Pacific – southwest
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	Buller's Albatross has an estimated annual breeding population of 31,939, made up of 8,877 pairs on the Snares Islands, 4,912 pairs on the Solander Islands (Sagar et al. 1999b; Sagar and Stahl 2005), 16,000 pairs on the Forty-Fours, 2,130 pairs on Big and Little Sister Islands in the Chatham Island group, and 20 pairs on Rosemary Rock, Three Kings Islands off North Island (Croxall and Gales 1998).
Population Trend:	Stable

Population:

Buller's Albatross has an estimated annual breeding population of 31,939, made up of 8,877 pairs on the Snares Islands, 4,912 pairs on the Solander Islands (Sagar et al. 1999b; Sagar and Stahl 2005), 16,000 pairs on the Forty-Fours, 2,130 pairs on Big and Little Sister Islands in the Chatham Island group, and 20 pairs on Rosemary Rock, Three Kings Islands off North Island (Croxall and Gales 1998).

Population Trend:

Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It breeds in a variety of habitats including grassy meadows, tussock-covered slopes and cliffs, scrub and under forest canopy⁴. It feeds mostly on fish, squid and tunicates, also octopuses and crustacea^3,15. Breeding is annual. On Little Sister, annual productivity 1994-1996 was 57-60%, and mean annual adult survival 1974-1995 was 93.5%². On the Snares, annual productivity 1995-98 was 70.8%⁸, and mean annual adult survival increased from 92.0% in 1983-85 to 95.5% in 1992-97⁷.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It breeds in a variety of habitats including grassy meadows, tussock-covered slopes and cliffs, scrub and under forest canopy⁴. It feeds mostly on fish, squid and tunicates, also octopuses and crustacea^3,15. Breeding is annual. On Little Sister, annual productivity 1994-1996 was 57-60%, and mean annual adult survival 1974-1995 was 93.5%². On the Snares, annual productivity 1995-98 was 70.8%⁸, and mean annual adult survival increased from 92.0% in 1983-85 to 95.5% in 1992-97⁷.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	A severe storm in 1985 almost completely removed soil and vegetation from the Sisters and Forty-Fours Islands. Although T. bulleri seems unaffected, further habitat degradation could result in population decreases, as has been predicted for Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi². It is one of the more common bycatch species in the longline tuna fishery in New Zealand waters, where all birds caught are adults^1,5. It is also caught by squid trawlers in low numbers despite the banning of net-sonde cables in 1992¹⁴. Weka Gallirallus australis was introduced to Big Solander and may take eggs and chicks¹⁴.

Major Threat(s):

A severe storm in 1985 almost completely removed soil and vegetation from the Sisters and Forty-Fours Islands. Although T. bulleri seems unaffected, further habitat degradation could result in population decreases, as has been predicted for Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi². It is one of the more common bycatch species in the longline tuna fishery in New Zealand waters, where all birds caught are adults^1,5. It is also caught by squid trawlers in low numbers despite the banning of net-sonde cables in 1992¹⁴. Weka Gallirallus australis was introduced to Big Solander and may take eggs and chicks¹⁴.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation actions underway: CMS Appendix II and ACAP Annex 1. Long-term studies have been initiated in all main populations¹⁴. Most islands are legally protected, but all Chatham colonies are on private land. Conservation actions proposed: Complete an accurate census on Forty-Fours and Big Sister. Census all colonies for 2-4 consecutive years every 10 years, and Little Sister at least every five years. Develop and effectively implement mitigation devices/techniques to minimise fisheries bycatch. Establish observer coverage on fisheries east of the North Island and the Chathams. Eradicate G. australis from Big Solander Island. Obtain legal protection for Forty-Fours and Sisters Islands, and continued access for research¹⁴.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation actions underway:

CMS Appendix II and ACAP Annex 1. Long-term studies have been initiated in all main populations¹⁴. Most islands are legally protected, but all Chatham colonies are on private land.

Conservation actions proposed:

Complete an accurate census on Forty-Fours and Big Sister. Census all colonies for 2-4 consecutive years every 10 years, and Little Sister at least every five years. Develop and effectively implement mitigation devices/techniques to minimise fisheries bycatch. Establish observer coverage on fisheries east of the North Island and the Chathams. Eradicate G. australis from Big Solander Island. Obtain legal protection for Forty-Fours and Sisters Islands, and continued access for research¹⁴.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Thalassarche bulleri. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2010.
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