BirdUp · Species
Hutton's Shearwater
Puffinus huttoniMathews, 1912
- Order
- PROCELLARIIFORMES
- Family
- Procellariidae
- Genus
- Puffinus
At a glance
The Hutton's Shearwater is a large bird, about 36–38 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 36–38 cm
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Hutton's Shearwater look like?
The Hutton's Shearwater is a large bird, about 36–38 cm long and weighing 305–370 g.
Hutton's shearwater is a medium-sized ocean-going seabird in the family Procellariidae. Its range is Australian and New Zealand waters, but it breeds only in mainland New Zealand. Its conservation status is Endangered, because there are just two remaining breeding colonies, located in the Seaward Kaikōura Range. Six other shearwater colonies have been destroyed by introduced pigs. Hutton's shearwater is the only seabird in the world that is known to breed in alpine areas. Conservation measures for the bird include predator control at the breeding sites, establishing the Kaikōura Dark Sky Sanctuary, and community initiatives to rescue birds that crash-land at night on streets in Kaikōura. A protected breeding area has also been created on the Kaikōura Peninsula, including a pest-exclusion fence and man-made burrows, with the initial population established by translocating fledglings from the remaining breeding colonies.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Hutton's Shearwater?
The Hutton's Shearwater is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Hutton's Shearwater eat?
The Hutton's Shearwater feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging alone.
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