Conservation status of the Hutton's shearwater

Cargill, C.P.; Townsend, D.; McArthur, N.R.; Morgenstern, R.; Morrisey, M.; Sherley, G.; Bell, M. 2022. The conservation status of Hutton’s shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) at Shearwater Stream, Kaikōura, New Zealand: a small population at risk? Notornis 70(1): 1–13.

This paper summarises the status of the Hutton’s shearwater (Puffinus huttoni), a burrowing petrel endemic to the alpine zone of the Seaward Kaikōura Ranges, New Zealand. In November 2019, a breeding colony at Shearwater Stream in the Puhi Peaks Nature Reserve was surveyed for the first time since a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck the region in 2016. Population parameters were measured along with a geomorphological assessment of damage caused by the earthquake. The study estimated that the Shearwater Stream colony supports approximately 3,000 breeding pairs. Ground deformation attributed to the 2016 earthquake did not explain the discrepancy between this estimate and the commonly cited (pre-quake) population estimate of ~8,000 pairs.

Also see the video about the land damage.