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Seabirds around Banks Peninsula (New Zealand) from aerial surveys

  • Publication Type

    Journal Article

  • Publication Year

    1998

  • Author(s)

    D.J. Hawke

  • Journal Name

    Notornis

  • Volume, Issue

    45, 2

  • Pagination

    113-125

  • Article Type

    paper

Keywords

Canterbury; cormorant; gull; shearwater; survey; tern


Seabirds around Banks Peninsula (New Zealand) from aerial surveys

Notornis, 45 (2), 113-125

D.J. Hawke (1998)

Article Type: paper

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Aerial surveys for flying seabirds were directed up to 18.3 km offshore from Banks Peninsula during February and July-August 1996. The abundance of Hutton’s/Fluttering Shearwaters (Puffinus huttoni/P. gavia) increased offshore, consistent with possible offshore increases in pelagic versus benthic productivity The decrease in abundance offshore of Spotted/Pied Shags (Stictocarbo punctatus/Phalacrocorax varius), Black- backed Gulls (Larus dominicanus), White-fronted Terns (Sterna striata), and Red-billed/ Black-billed Gulls Gull (L. novaehollandiae/L. bulleri) probably reflects their commuting to and from breeding and roosting sites. Hutton’s/Fluttering Shearwaters and White- fronted Terns were most common around the area east of Banks Peninsula. The distribution of other species around Banks Peninsula probably reflects breeding site distribution (Spotted Shags), and feeding opportunities on land (Black-backed Gulls). Convergent fronts were distributed around Banks Peninsula, and decreased in number offshore. Internal waves were most common toward the eastern end of Banks Peninsula, and were evenly distributed offshore. While the onshore-offshore distribution of the non- procellariiform species matched that of convergent fronts, seabirds and individual convergent fronts did not significantly co-occur.