Buller's Shearwater
Ardenna bulleri
Striking large shearwater with distinctive dark "M" pattern on upperwings. Also note crisp dark cap and clean white underwings and belly. Looks silvery-gray above when fresh, but worn birds can be more brownish. Graceful flight style. Usually easily separated from other shearwaters by wing pattern. Breeds on islands off New Zealand; ranges across the Pacific during nonbreeding season; uncommon off the west coast of the U.S. in fall. Rarely seen from land, prefers to stay offshore. Found singly or in flocks with other shearwaters.
Identification
Adults birds are 46–47 cm (18–19 in) in length, with a 97–99 cm (38–39 in) wingspan, and have been recorded to weigh 342–425 g (12.1–15.0 oz). The upperside of Buller's shearwater is bluish grey. A blackish stripe runs from the tertiary remiges to the primary wing coverts. The primary remiges are blackish, also; the two black areas do not meet at the hand, however; the area between them is a rather light grey, and under bright light may appear almost white. With the bird facing upwards, the pattern gives the impression of a broken black "M", with light grey interspersing areas.<p>The underside is bright white; on the head the upperside's grey extends town to eye height and the white cheeks may shine up conspicuously, as in the smaller shearwaters of Puffinus sensu stricto. The rectrices are blackish and the tail is wedge-shaped; the bill and irises are dark. Fledged juveniles already have the adult's colouration; the nestlings are covered in grey down feathers.<p>Compared to other shearwaters, the species is unusually easy to identify at sea by its combination of considerable size and the distinctive, M-shaped banding pattern on its upperside while flying, uniquely among its genus and more akin to some gadfly petrels (Pterodroma), the prions (Pachyptila) and their relative, the blue petrel (Halobaena caerulea). These are all much smaller birds, perhaps two-thirds in length and wingspan and less than half in bulk of Buller's shearwater.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ardenna bulleri
- Authority
- (Salvin, 1888)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Procellariidae
- Genus
- Ardenna
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PO : Poor Knights Is. (off ne North I., New Zealand)
- Non-breeding range
- to subarctic north Pacific, also e Australia and w South American waters to c Chile
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Barbuda Warbler
Setophaga subita
A brightly colored inhabitant of thickets and scrub near water. The combination of blue-gray upperparts, extensively yellow underparts, white wingbars, and distinctive facial pattern are unique within its range. The song is variable, but most often is a burbling series of sweet notes given in three parts, with the middle part higher pitched. The call is a single loud sweet chip.
Red-winged Fairywren
Malurus elegans
Small bird with a very long blue-gray tail held cocked, found in wet areas with dense vegetation in southwestern Western Australia. Breeding male has pale blue helmet, black throat and breast, small pale blue patch on back, and rich chestnut shoulder patch. Female grayish brown overall, with paler underparts, warm brown upperwings, long blue-gray tail, rufous lores, and black bill.
Sharpe's Longclaw
Macronyx sharpei
A small, pretty member of the pipit family. Note the yellow underparts, the breast band of black streaks, and the scaly brown upperparts. Males and females are similar, but females are duller. The white edges of the tail are conspicuous in weak, fluttering flight. Found on the ground in montane grassland, often in wet areas. Similar to Yellow-throated Longclaw, but there is little overlap in range, and Sharpe’s is separated by being much smaller and having a streaky rather than solid black breast band. Brownish immatures can be confused with pipits, but show some pale yellow below. The song is a series of musical whistles in an up-and-down pattern, given from a perch or in flight. The calls include a sharp “siit” and a longer, metallic “chweee.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.