Hutton's Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni)

Family
Procellariidae (Petrels, Shearwaters)

Size
36 - 38 cm
Wingspan: 78 cm

First Described (Guide)
Mathews, 1912

Derivation
Puff'-in-us - N.L., puffin: huttoni - F.W. Hutton (1836 - 1905), New Zealand ornithologist

Abundance (Guide)
UC

Uncommon non-breeding visitor to coastal and pelagic waters of southern Australia.

Habitat
Marine, pelagic, in waters around New Zealand and Australia, mainly sub-tropical but also ranging south to Subtropical Convergence.

Range (Guide)

Australia (NB), Eastern Indian Ocean (NB), New Zealand (B), Southwest Pacific (NB), Western Central Pacific (NB).

Breeds only in Alpine areas of the northern South Island, New Zealand. Visitor to coastal and pelagic waters of southern Australia.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 300,000 - 350,000 (2010) and decreasing.

Status EN
Predation by feral pigs and cats are considered the greatest threat.

Vulnerable.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Planktonic crustaceans, molluscs, fish, carrion.

Voice
A cackling, 'kouw kouw kouw kouw kee kee kee kee aaah', uttered from within and outside of burrows and in display and fighting. A more highly pitched cackle is uttered in flight. Young beg with a high-pitched piping or sibilant whistle.

(24Kb) © ? (1)

Xeno-Canto Sound Files

Hutton's Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) [XC198036]
by id from Kowhai Hut, Kaikoura District, Canterbury, New Zealand (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds only in Alpine areas of the northern South Island, New Zealand (August - April).

Nest
In a chamber at the end of a burrow, lined with tussock-grass and feathers. In colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
1; white; oval; about 60 x 41 mm. Incubation: about 50 - 60 days; both sexes, in shifts.

Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledging in about 80 days. Fed by both parents by incomplete regurgitation.

Subspecies
Interbreeds with Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) and Fluttering Shearwater (Puffinus gavia) to form superspecies.

No subspecies.

Similar Species
Fluttering Shearwater (Puffinus gavia) which is almost identical but is smaller and has a lighter wing-pit triangle.

Compare Images

References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

Files:

JPG files for Huttons Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) - 10 files

MP3 files for Huttons Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) - 1 files

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