PROCELLARIIFORMES Albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters

Symbols and Abbreviations
➤ Indicates a species (cf. subspecies)
† Indicates an extinct taxon
a.s.l., above sea level
CM, Canterbury Museum, Christchurch
NMNZ, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington

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Order PROCELLARIIFORMES: Albatrosses, Petrels, and Shearwaters

We follow Cracraft et al. (2004), Penhallurick & Wink (2004), Ericson et al. (2006), Hackett et al. (2008), Dickinson & Remsen (2013), Burleigh et al. (2015), Prum et al. (2015), Clements et al. (2019), Chesser et al. (2020), Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International (2020), Estandia et al. (2021), and F. Gill et al. (2021) in including diving petrels (Pelecanoides spp.) within Procellariidae. However, we note the ancient fossil record, distinctive morphology, and distinctive louse fauna of diving petrels (Price et al. 2003; Worthy et al. 2007; G. Mayr & Smith 2012). We recommend a comprehensive review of relationships within the order Procellariiformes, addressing whether the distinctiveness and antiquity of some genera within the Procellariidae warrant their recognition at family level.

Several genetic studies have concluded that southern and northern storm petrels are not sister taxa, and therefore that each of the two clades should be recognised at family level (e.g. Kennedy & Page 2002; Hackett et al. 2008; Prum et al. 2015; Reddy et al. 2017; Estandia et al. 2021). While we follow this approach, we note that several other genetic and morphological studies concluded that the two storm petrel clades were each other’s closest relatives (Penhallurick & Wink 2004; Ericson et al. 2006; Ksepka et al. 2006, 2012; Livezey & Zusi 2007; Mayr & Smith 2012; Burleigh et al. 2015). Authors differ in their interpretation of which of the four procellariiform families is most basal. We follow Prum et al. (2015), Reddy et al. (2017), and Estandia et al. (2021) in placing albatrosses first, followed by southern storm petrels (Oceanitidae), then northern storm petrels (Hydrobatidae), followed by Procellariidae.

Family DIOMEDEIDAE G.R. Gray: Albatrosses | Toroa

Diomedeidae G.R. Gray, 1840: List Gen. Birds (1st edition): 78 – Type genus Diomedea Linnaeus, 1758.

Albatross genera follow recommendations by Nunn et al. (1996) and C. Robertson & Nunn (1998), which have been adopted widely, e.g. Holdaway et al. (2001), Shirihai (2002), Dickinson (2003), M. Brooke (2004), and Onley & Scofield (2007). The arrangement of species used here follows the traditional order of Jouanin & Mougin (1979), except that the species within Thalassarche follow C. Robertson & Nunn (1998) to better reflect relationships. Common names used here mainly follow Tickell (2000).

Genus Diomedea Linnaeus

Diomedea Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 132 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Diomedea exulans Linnaeus.

Rhothonia Murphy, 1917: Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 37: 861 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea (Rhothonia) sanfordi Murphy = Diomedea sanfordi Murphy. As a subgenus of Diomedea.

Diomedaea; Lesson 1825, Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. Paris 6: 95. Misspelling.

Diomedia; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76. Misspelling.

There has been much disagreement about the taxonomy of the “wandering albatross” complex. This includes debate over the identity of Linnaeus’ type specimen for D. exulans, and the degree of difference between populations. The 1979 world checklist of birds recognised two subspecies – a smaller darker form breeding at lower latitudes (D. e. exulans) and a large pale form breeding at higher latitudes (D. e. chionoptera) (Jouanin & Mougin 1979), and the name chionoptera became widely used (e.g. P. Harrison 1983; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Warham 1990; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998; Onley & Bartle 1999; Holdaway et al. 2001; Dickinson 2003). The Checklist Committee (1990) recognised all forms occurring in the New Zealand region as nominate Diomedea exulans. These taxonomic approaches are now widely regarded as outdated. The description of a new albatross species D. amsterdamensis breeding on Amsterdam Island (Roux et al.1983) and two new subspecies of wandering albatross – D. e. antipodensis from the Antipodes Islands and Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku and D. e. gibsoni from the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (C. Robertson & Warham 1992) – renewed debate about relationships within the D. exulans group. Bourne (1989) noted that the population from the Tristan da Cunha archipelago was also distinctive and should be recognised by the name D. e. dabbenena Mathews, 1929. The arguments given by Bourne (1989, 1999, 2002) and Medway (1993) about the original Linnaeus wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans, referring to the large southern form were accepted by Checklist Committee (2010) and subsequently the type locality for Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758, was restricted to South Georgia (Schodde et al. (2017). Thus, D. chionoptera is a junior synonym of D. exulans and should no longer apply to the large southern birds.

Most authors now accept five “wandering albatross” taxa (i.e. D. exulans, D. dabbenena, D. amsterdamensis, D. antipodensis, D. gibsoni) either as subspecies or full species. Although some authors consider D. dabbenena to be a subspecies of D. exulans (e.g. Medway 1993; Bourne 2002; Penhallurick & Wink 2004), most researchers recognise it as a full species (e.g. Gales 1998; BirdLife International 2000; Ryan 2000; Cuthbert, Phillips et al. 2003; M. Brooke 2004; T. Burg & Croxall 2004; Alderman et al. 2005; Onley & Scofield 2007). Similarly, some authors consider D. amsterdamensis to be a subspecies of D. exulans (e.g. Medway 1993; Bourne 1989, 2002; Warham 1990; Vuilleumier et al. 1992; James 2000; Dickinson 2003; Penhallurick & Wink 2004), while most treat it as a full species (e.g. Gales 1998; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998; Onley & Bartle 1999; BirdLife International 2000; Ryan 2000; Waugh & Weimerskirch 2003; M. Brooke 2004; Milot et al. 2007; Onley & Scofield 2007). In contrast, although some authors recognised D. antipodensis and D. gibsoni as full species (e.g. Gales 1998; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998; Ryan 2000), most researchers regard them as subspecies of D. antipodensis (e.g. Medway 1993; Onley & Bartle 1999; BirdLife International 2000; James 2000; Warham 2000; Holdaway et al. 2001; M. Brooke 2004; T. Burg & Croxall 2004; Penhallurick & Wink 2004; Onley & Scofield 2007). We therefore recognise the following taxa: D. exulans, D. dabbenena, D. amsterdamensis, D. antipodensis antipodensis and D. antipodensis gibsoni. The last two taxa breed in the New Zealand region, with a few D. exulans breeding nearby on Macquarie Island. The two other forms have not been recorded in this area, although a GLS-tagged D. amsterdamensis may have passed through New Zealand waters near Campbell Island (Delord et al. 2022). Von Tschudi (1856: 157) described “Diomedea adusta” from west of Chile, and Von Pelzeln (1873: 51) named “Diomedea exulans grisea”; the identities of these two taxa require clarification.

Natural bone and midden deposits of large albatrosses have been found in several North and South Island Late Pleistocene and Holocene sites; however, their specific assignation is uncertain (Millener 1991).

➤ Diomedea exulans Linnaeus
Wandering Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 132 – “intra tropicos Pelagi & ad Cap. b. Spei”, restricted to South Georgia (fide Schodde et al. 2017, Zootaxa 4236: 142).

Diomedea Albatrus; J.R. Forster 1785, Mém. Math. Phys. Paris (Acad. Sci.) 10: 569, pl. 13. Not Diomedea albatrus Pallas, 1769.

Diomedea (Diomedea) exulans Linnaeus; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 109.

Diomedea spadicea Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 568 – “in maris australis latitudine 37°” = southern seas at 37°S (fide Schodde et al. 2017, Zootaxa 4236: 142).

Diomedia [sic] exulans Linnaeus; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Diomedea chionoptera Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 443 – Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean.

Diomedea exulans rothschildi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 246, pl. 95 – east Australian Seas.

Diomedea exulans rohui Mathews, 1915: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 125 – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Diomedea exulans westralis Mathews, 1918: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 39: 23 – Western Australia, off Albany.

Diomedea chionoptera chionoptera Salvin; Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 130.

Diomedea chionoptera rohui Mathews; Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 130.

Diomedea exulans georgia Mathews, 1933: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 53: 214 – South Georgia.

Diomedea (Diomedea) exulans rothschildi Mathews; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 152.

Diomedea exulans exulans Linnaeus; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 18. In part.

Diomedea exulans chionoptera Salvin; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 18.

Diomedea exulans Linnaeus; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 14. In part.

Schodde et al. (2017) designated a neotype for D. exulans, with South Georgia as the type locality. The southern oceans, breeding on high-latitude subantarctic and antarctic islands between 46°S and 55°S: South Georgia, Prince Edward and Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen, and Heard Islands. Close to New Zealand, a few breed on Macquarie Island (Marchant & Higgins 1990). At sea circumpolar and highly migratory, normally ranging between about 25°S and 65°S; occasionally recorded in the New Zealand region (e.g. Marchant & Higgins 1990; D. Thompson et al. 2000; Miskelly et al. 2001a, 2006; BirdLife International 2004), including banded birds from South Georgia, Crozet, and Kerguelen Islands (Croxall & Prince 1990; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Prince et al. 1998; G. Taylor 2004; Weimerskirch et al. 2006; NMNZ OR.023373). Vagrant to the Northern Hemisphere (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Harrop 1994) but these birds may have been ship-assisted (Soldaat et al. 2009).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Diomedea antipodensis Robertson & Warham
Antipodean Albatross | Toroa*

Two subspecies; restricted to nesting in the New Zealand subantarctic; ranging at sea from southern Australia across the South Pacific Ocean to South America. The common names used here follow C. Robertson & Nunn (1998), G. Taylor (2000a), and Shirihai (2002).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

Diomedea antipodensis antipodensis Robertson & Warham
Antipodean Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea exulans exulans Linnaeus; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 18. In part.

Diomedea exulans Linnaeus; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 14. In part.

Diomedea exulans antipodensis Robertson & Warham, 1992: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 112(2): 74 – Antipodes Island.

Diomedea antipodensis; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Diomedea antipodensis antipodensis Robertson & Warham; M. Brooke 2004, Albatrosses and Petrels across the World: 176.

Breeds on the Antipodes Islands and Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku; ranges at sea to southern and eastern Australia and the South Pacific Ocean to the west coast of South America (C. Robertson & Warham 1992; Nicholls et al. 1996; 2000, 2002; K. Walker & Elliott 2005, 2006). A few have nested on the Chatham Islands since 2003 (Miskelly et al. 2008), and in Mar. 1996 one was seen ashore on Macquarie Island (L. Smith 1997). Occasionally reaches more tropical latitudes (K. Walker & Elliott 2006), e.g. the Tuamotu Archipelago (C. Robertson 1972b), and south to 73°S in antarctic waters (K. Walker & Elliott 2006).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni Robertson & Warham
Gibson’s Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea exulans exulans Linnaeus; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 18. In part.

Diomedea exulans Linnaeus; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 14. In part.

Diomedea exulans gibsoni Robertson & Warham, 1992: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 112(2): 76 – Adams Island, Auckland Islands.

Diomedea gibsoni; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Diomedea antipodensis; BirdLife International 2000, Threatened Birds of the World: In part.

Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni Robertson & Warham; M. Brooke 2004, Albatrosses and Petrels across the World: 176.

Breeds on the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Adams Island, Disappointment Island, and Auckland Island); ranges to the Tasman Sea and waters off mainland New Zealand; occasionally to south-west Australian and south-west Pacific waters (C. Robertson & Warham 1992; K. Walker et al. 1995; Reinke et al. 1998; K. Walker & Elliott 1999, 2006; Nicholls et al. 2000; Elliott & Walker 2005).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Diomedea epomophora Lesson
Southern Royal Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedaea [sic] epomophora Lesson, 1825: Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. Paris 6: 95 – no locality, probably Australian waters (fide Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History 13(1) no 2: 42) and not “Campbell Island” as designated by Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 239.

Diomedea exulans Linnaeus; Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 5): 189. In part.

Diomedea regia Buller, 1891: Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23: 230 – New Zealand region, restricted to Campbell Island (fide Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 11).

Diomedea epomophora mccormicki Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 261 – Enderby Island, Auckland Islands.

Diomedea epomophora epomophora Lesson; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 239.

Diomedea epomophora longirostris Mathews, 1934: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 54: 112 – south Atlantic Ocean.

Diomedea (Rhothonia) epomophora epomophora Lesson; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 153. In part.

Diomedea (Rhothonia) epomophora mccormicki Mathews; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 153.

Diomedea (Rhothonia) epomophora longirostris Mathews; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 153.

Diomedea epomophora; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 126, 175.

Breeds mainly on Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku; a few on Enderby, Adams, and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (R.H. Taylor et al. 1970; P. Moore et al. 1997; G. Taylor 2000a). A few have interbred with D. sanfordi at Taiaroa Head, Otago and on Enderby Island (Croxall & Gales 1998; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Commonly ranges north from the subantarctic to 36°S in New Zealand and Australian seas (Marchant & Higgins 1990; T. Reid et al. 2002; Waugh et al. 2002; Waugh & Weimerskirch 2003). Regular migrant to seas off west and south-east coasts of South America (C. Robertson & Kinsky 1972; Enticott 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Imber 1999; P. Moore & Bettany 2005; Pacheco et al. 2021). Rare in the south Indian and South Atlantic Oceans (Enticott 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; P. Moore & Bettany 2005). Vagrant north to the tropics, e.g. the Tuamotu Archipelago (C. Robertson 1972b). Holocene bones and midden remains have been found in dunes on Enderby Island (Dawson 1964; R.H. Taylor 1971; Yaldwyn 1986; Tennyson 2020a).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Diomedea sanfordi Murphy
Northern Royal Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea (Rhothonia) sanfordi Murphy, 1917: Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 37: 861 – 64 km off Corral, Valdivia, Chile.

Diomedea (Rhothonia) epomophora epomophora Lesson; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 153. In part.

Diomedea epomophora sandfordi; Falla 1938, Rec. Cant. Museum 4(4): 215. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea epomophora sanfordi Murphy; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 16.

Diomedea sanfordi; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 126, 175.

Breeds mainly at the Chatham Islands on The Sisters and Motuhara / The Forty Fours; about 30 pairs at Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula (C. Robertson 1991, 1993, 2001; Imber 1999). Two have interbred with D. epomophora at Enderby Island, Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Croxall & Gales 1998; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Ranges north to 36°S, particularly east of New Zealand during the breeding season (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Nicholls et al. 1994, 2002; BirdLife International 2004; Waugh et al. 2005). Regularly seen as far south as the Auckland Islands (Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020) and small numbers occur in south-east Australian waters during all seasons (T. Reid et al. 2002). Circumpolar migration eastward, primarily to the South American coasts of Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay (Enticott 1986; C. Robertson & Nicholls 2000; Nicholls et al. 2002; BirdLife International 2004; Pacheco et al. 2021). C. Robertson & Nunn (1998) argued that D. epomophora and D. sanfordi should be treated as separate species because of “several key morphological distinctions” but they did not present any data to support this statement. Their proposal was rejected by James (2000) and Penhallurick & Wink (2004). However, clear identification characters have been described to support full species status for each form (e.g. Onley & Bartle 1999) and that conclusion has been increasingly followed (e.g. BirdLife International 2000; G. Taylor 2000a; Holdaway et al. 2001; Waugh et al. 2002; M. Brooke 2004; Onley & Scofield 2007) and was adopted by the Checklist Committee (2010). Holocene bones have been found on the Chatham Islands (Millener 1999; Holdaway et al. 2001).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

Genus Phoebastria Reichenbach

Phoebastria Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: 5 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea brachyura Temminck = Phoebastria albatrus Pallas.

Julietata Mathews, 1943: in Mathews & Hallstrom, Notes Procellariiformes: 27 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea irrorata Salvin = Phoebastria irrorata (Salvin).

Galapagornis Boetticher, 1949: Beitr. Gattungssyst. Vögel: 27 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea irrorata Salvin = Phoebastria irrorata (Salvin).

Laysanornis Boetticher, 1949: Beitr. Gattungssyst. Vögel: 27 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea immutabilis Rothschild = Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild).

Penthirenia Boetticher, 1949: Beitr. Gattungssyst. Vögel: 27 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea nigripes Audubon = Phoebastria nigripes (Audubon).

➤ Phoebastria nigripes (Audubon)
Black-footed Albatross

Diomedea nigripes Audubon, 1839: Ornith. Biography 5: 327 – Pacific Ocean, 30°44’N, 146°W.

Thalassarche nigripes (Audubon); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 131.

Phoebastria nigripes reischekia Mathews, 1930: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 51: 29 – New Zealand, restricted to Dusky Sound (fide Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 181).

Diomedea nigripes Audubon; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 18.

Phoebastria nigripes (Audubon); M. Brooke 2004, Albatrosses and Petrels across the World: 190.

North Pacific Ocean, breeding on the Leeward Hawai’ian Islands and on Torishima, Izu Islands; ranging mainly into the north-east Pacific (Jouanin & Mougin 1979). A single New Zealand record: Dusky Sound, Jul. 1884, in the Reischek collection (i.e. at Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Oliver 1955).

➤ Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild)
Laysan Albatross

Diomedea immutabilis Rothschild, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1: 48 – Laysan Island, Hawai’ian Islands, Pacific Ocean.

Thalassarche immutabilis (Rothschild); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 132.

Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 154.

Diomedea immutabilis; Medway 2000, Notornis 47(1): 65.

Breeds on islands of the Hawai’ian chain. Ranges in the North Pacific from the Bering Sea to Japan and Baja California (Jouanin & Mougin 1979). One record in the New Zealand region, off Hawke Bay, Dec. 1995 (Medway 2000a). One ashore at Norfolk Island in 1985–86 (J. Moore 1999).

Genus Thalassarche Reichenbach

Thalassarche Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: 5 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea melanophrys Temminck = Thalassarche melanophris (Temminck).

Thalassogeron Ridgway, 1884: in Baird, Brewer & Ridgway, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. 13: 345, 357 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea culminata Gould = Thalassarche chrysostoma (J.R. Forster).

Nealbatrus Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 274 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin = Thalassarche chlororhynchos (Gmelin).

Diomedella Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 275 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea cauta Gould = Thalassarche cauta cauta (Gould).

Many natural deposit and midden records from North, South and Chatham Islands remain unidentified to species (Millener 1991; Holdaway et al. 2001). The small, dark-backed southern albatrosses are often called mollymawks.

➤ Thalassarche chlororhynchos (Gmelin)
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross

Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 568. Based on the “Yellownosed Albatross” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3: 309, pl. 94 – Cape of Good Hope = 35°13’S, 06°03’W, South Atlantic Ocean (fide Medway 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 8).

Diomedea presaga Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 185 (ex Brandt MS) – no locality.

Thalassogeron eximius G.E. Verrill, 1895: Trans. Connect. Acad. Arts Sci. 9: 440, pl. 8 – Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean.

Thalassogeron chlororhynchus (Gmelin); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 451. In part. Unjustified emendation.

Nealbatrus chlororhynchus chlororhynchus (Gmelin); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 42. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche chlororhynchus (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale 1921, Man. Birds of Australia 1: 52. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche chlororhynchus chlororhynchus (Gmelin); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 132. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea melanoptera Miranda-Ribeiro, 1928: Bol. Mus. Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 4(4): 45 – no locality = Tristan da Cunha (fide Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 162).

Diomedea chlorohynchus Gmelin; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17. In part. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin; Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 7. In part.

Diomedea chlororhynchos chlororhynchos Gmelin; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 19.

Thalassarche chlororhynchos; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Thalassarche carteri chlororhynchos; Scofield & Stephenson 2013, Birds N.Z. Photographic Guide. 1st edition: 125. Error for Thalassarche chlororhynchos chlororhynchos.

Breeds on Gough and the Tristan da Cunha Islands (Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, Stoltenhoff, Middle); ranges widely in the South Atlantic Ocean and rarely east as far as Australian seas (R. Brooke et al. 1980; Tickell 2000; Cuthbert, Ryan et al. 2003; M. Brooke 2004); vagrant to the North Atlantic (Harrop 1994; Mlodinow 1999; Pendlebury 2007; van den Berg & Haas 2007). One vagrant attempted to nest on Middle Sister Island, Chatham Islands, during 1975–76, and another was ashore there in 1996 (C. Robertson 1975; Imber 1994; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Miskelly et al. 2006). One off Kaikoura, Mar. 2016, and one off the Snares Islands / Tini Heke, Nov. 2019 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017, 2021). One on Motuhara / The Forty Fours, Chatham Islands, Dec. 2016 (images by David Boyle on New Zealand Birds Online, viewed 24 Jun. 2021). The common name used here follows BirdLife International (2000), Shirihai (2002), M. Brooke (2004), and Onley & Scofield (2007).

➤ Thalassarche carteri (Rothschild)
Indian Ocean Yellow-nosed Albatross

Diomedea (Thalassarche) chlororhyncha; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 109. Not Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin, 1789. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassogeron chlororhynchus (Gmelin); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 451. In part. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassogeron carteri Rothschild, 1903: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 14: 6 – Point Cloates, north-west Australia.

Diomedea bassi Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 206 – south-east Australian seas.

Thalassogeron chlororhynchos bassi (Mathews); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 240.

Nealbatrus chlororhynchus bassi (Mathews); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 43. Unjustified emendation.

Nealbatrus chlororhynchus carteri (Rothschild); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 43. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche chlororhynchus carteri (Rothschild); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 132. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche chlororhynchus bassi (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 132. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche chlororhynchus; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 164. Not Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin, 1789. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea chlorohynchus Gmelin; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17. In part. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin; Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 7. In part.

Diomedea chlororhynchos bassi Mathews; R. Brooke et al. 1980, Durban Museum Novit. 12: 175.

Diomedea chlororhynchos carteri (Rothschild); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 19.

Thalassarche carteri; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Breeds on Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Amsterdam and St. Paul Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; BirdLife International 2000). One pair nested on The Pyramid, Chatham Islands, in 1998–2003 (Medway 2001c; Miskelly et al. 2006). Ranges mainly between 30°S and 40°S in the Indian Ocean and Australian seas (K. Wood 1992; Tickell 2000; T. Reid et al. 2002). Between the 1960s and early 1990s, a regular visitor, mainly Apr. to Dec., to seas off the northern North Island and Bay of Plenty; rarely south to the Cook Strait region (e.g. C. Robertson 1975; Sibson 1979; P. Latham 1980; Booth 1982; Powlesland 1985; Powlesland & Powlesland 1994b). Vagrant to Stewart Island / Rakiura, Feb. 1974 (G. Wilson 1976) and the Snares Islands / Tini Heke, Jan. 1985 (Miskelly et al. 2001a). More recent records include off Kaikoura, Jul. 2002 and Jul. 2007 (Medway 2002f; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2019); off North Cape, Mar. 2013 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017); off Golden Bay, Feb. 2017 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2019); and on Ninety Mile Beach, Far North, Sep. 2021 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023).

C. Robertson & Nunn (1998) argued that Th. chlororhynchos and Th. carteri should be treated as separate species but they did not present data to support this proposal (James 2000). However, R. Brooke et al. (1980), C. Robertson (2002), and Onley & Scofield (2007) described several morphological differences between these taxa. Species status for each was recognised by BirdLife International (2000) and M. Brooke (2004), and was accepted by the Checklist Committee (2010). The common name used here follows L. Smith et al. (2000).

F. Hutton (1871: 44) listed “120. DIOMEDEA CHLORORHYNCHA Gmel.” as a species represented in the collection of the Auckland Museum, with a description fitting Th. carteri. This would constitute the first record of a yellow-nosed albatross in New Zealand. However, since no specimen with data matching those given by Hutton can now be found in the Auckland Museum collection (Checklist Committee 2010), we leave this record as undetermined until a relevant specimen is found. Buller (1887–88, 2: 202) also refers to “DIOMEDEA CHLORORHYNCHA” citing, among others, a specimen in the Auckland Museum, but his description fits Th. bulleri bulleri (see below).

➤ Thalassarche chrysostoma (J.R. Forster)
Grey-headed Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea chrysostoma J.R. Forster, 1785: Mém. Math. Phys. Paris (Acad. Sci.) 10: 571, pl. 14 – vicinity of the Antarctic Circle and in the Pacific Ocean = 50°15’S, 96°1’W, south-east Pacific Ocean (fide Medway 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 9).

Diomedea culminata Gould, 1843: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1843 (11): 107 – south Indian, and South Pacific Oceans.

Diomedea (Thalassarche) culminata Gould; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 109.

Diomedea chlororhyncha [sic]; Filhol 1885, Recueil Mém. Rapp. Doc. Passage Vénus, Paris (Acad. Sci.): 3(2): 51. Not Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin, 1789.

Thalassogeron culminatus (Gould); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 451.

Thalassogeron desolationis Salvadori, 1911: Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Univ. Torino 26(638): 2 – Desolation Island, Straits of Magellan, South America (52°S, 74°W).

Diomedea culminata mathewsi Rothschild, 1912: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 29: 70 – Campbell Island.

Diomedea culminata culminata Gould; Rothschild 1912, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 29: 70.

Thalassogeron chrysostoma chrysostoma (J.R. Forster); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 280.

Thalassogeron chrysostoma culminata (Gould); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 280.

Thalassogeron chrysostoma harterti Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 280 – “South Indian Ocean (Kerguelen Island breeding)”, restricted to 46°52’S, 05°E (fide Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 18).

Thalassogeron chrysostoma mathewsi (Rothschild); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 240.

Thalassogeron chrysostoma alexanderi Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec.: 3: 55 – west coast of Australia.

Thalassogeron culminatus chrysostoma (J.R. Forster); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 318.

Thalassarche chrysostoma chrysostoma (J.R. Forster); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 131.

Thalassarche chrysostoma culminatus (Gould); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 131.

Thalassarche chrysostoma alexanderi (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 131.

Thalassarche chrysostoma mathewsi (Rothschild); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 131.

Thalassarche chrysostoma; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 164.

Thalassarche chrysostoma desolationis (Salvadori); Mathews 1933, Ibis 3 (13th series): 543.

Thalassogeron chrysostoma desolationis Salvadori; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 156.

Diomedea chrysostoma J.R. Forster; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17.

Circumpolar, breeding at Ildefonso and Diego Ramirez Islands (G. Clark et al. 1992; G. Robertson et al. 2007), South Georgia, Marion and Prince Edward Islands, Crozet, Kerguelen, Macquarie, and Campbell / Motu Ihupuku Islands (Gales 1993; Waugh, Weimerskirch, P. Moore et al. 1999; P. Moore 2002, 2004; Terauds et al. 2005). Ranges mainly between 39°S and 64°S (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Waugh, Sagar et al. 1999; Waugh, Weimerskirch, Cherel et al. 1999; Terauds et al. 2006). Regularly wrecked on New Zealand coasts (Powlesland 1985), including birds from South Georgia (Prince et al. 1998), but not usually seen alive in inshore waters (Waugh, Sagar et al. 1999); an exception was one off Whitiroa Beach, Coromandel, Jun. 2021 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). Vagrant at Chatham Islands (Te One, Sep. 1975; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2019). One banded as a chick on South Georgia recovered alive as an adult breeding on Macquarie Island (Anon. 2004a; Terauds et al. 2005). Northern Hemisphere records are dubious (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Mlodinow 1999). Possible Holocene record from the South Island (Millener 1991).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Thalassarche melanophris (Temminck)
Black-browed Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea melanophris Temminck, 1828: Nouv. Recueil Planch. Color. d’Oiseaux 77: pl. 456 and text – Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

Diomedea melanophrys Temminck; Temminck 1839, in Temminck & Laugier de Chartrouse, Nouv. Recueil Planch. Color. d’Oiseaux 102: pl. 76. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea gilliana Coues, 1866: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 181 – no locality.

Diomedea (Thalassarche) melanophrys Temminck; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 109. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea melanophrys Temminck; Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 447. In part. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche melanophris belcheri Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 271 – Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean.

Thalassarche melanophris richmondi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 272 – west coast of South America.

Thalassarche melanophrys melanophrys (Temminck); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 42. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche melanophrys; Belcher 1914, Ibis 2 (10th series): 594. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche melanophris melanophris (Temminck); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 130.

Diomedea melanophris melanophris Temminck; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17.

Diomedea melanophrys melanophrys Temminck; Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 7. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche melanophris; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 126.

The southern oceans; circumpolar, breeding on islands between 46°S and 56°S (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Breeds abundantly on islands off southern Chile: Diego de Almagro, Evangelistas, Albatros, the Ildefonso and Diego Ramírez archipelagos, and possibly Evout (G. Clark et al. 1992; Lawton et al. 2003; Alderman et al. 2005; G. Robertson et al. 2007), on Staten Island (Argentina), on the Falklands, South Georgia, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, and Macquarie Islands (including the Bishop and Clerks) (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Terauds et al. 2005). Contrary to Onley & Scofield (2007), it does not breed at the South Sandwich Islands (Convey et al. 1999). Small but increasing numbers breed in the New Zealand region: on Western Chain, Snares Islands / Tini Heke (one pair; Miskelly et al. 2001a), Bollons (Antipodes Islands), and Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku (Tennyson et al. 1998). Hybridisation with Th. impavida occurs rarely on Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku (P. Moore et al. 2001). Ranges widely between 30°S and antarctic coasts in all oceans, including seas off mainland New Zealand, particularly in winter months (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Terauds et al. 2006). A banded breeding adult from Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku was caught at sea off Chile (P. Moore & Battam 2000) and another adult banded on Macquarie Island was caught off New South Wales (P. Howard 1954). A bird banded on Diego Ramirez Island, Chile, was photographed in Cook Strait (images by Kyle Morrison on New Zealand Birds Online, viewed 24 Jun. 2021). A banded bird from South Georgia was caught at sea off New Zealand (Prince et al. 1998) and there is genetic evidence that birds from the Falkland Islands have reached Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku (T. Burg & Croxall 2001; P. Moore et al. 2001). Occasional vagrant far into the North Atlantic, where it has prospected nest sites, and to the central Pacific (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Harrop 1994; Mlodinow 1999; Tickell 2000; P. Fraser et al. 2007). The frequent but incorrect usage of the spelling “melanophrys” dates back to Temminck’s (1839) unjustified emendation of his original spelling (Christidis & Boles 1994: 40; Holdaway et al. 2001: 126).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Thalassarche impavida Mathews
Campbell Black-browed Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea melanophrys Temminck; Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 447. In part. Unjustified emendation.

Diomedea melanophrys; Ogilvie-Grant 1905, Ibis 5 (8th series): 558. Not Diomedea melanophris Temminck, 1828.

Thalassarche melanophris impavida Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 267, pl. 96 – Tasmania, Australia.

Diomedea melanophris impavida (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17.

Diomedea melanophrys impavida (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 7. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassarche impavida; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Breeds only on the north coasts of Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku and offshore Isle de Jeanette Marie (P. Moore & Moffat 1990; Waugh, Weimerskirch, P. Moore et al. 1999; P. Moore 2002, 2004; Shirihai 2002). Ranges widely in New Zealand seas and the Tasman Sea to south and east Australia; reaching south to the Ross Sea, with vagrants north to Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Tahiti, Tuamotu, and the Marquesas Islands; very rare in the Indian Ocean (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Petyt 1995; Waugh 1998; Cherel et al. 1999; Waugh, Sagar et al. 1999; Waugh, Weimerskirch, Cherel et al. 1999; Tickell 2000; T. Reid et al. 2002), including one ashore on Kerguelen Island (Shirihai 2002). A banded immature was caught at sea off Chile (P. Moore & Battam 2000). C. Robertson & Nunn (1998) argued that Th. melanophris and Th. impavida should be treated as separate species but did not present data to support this proposal. Their recommendation was rejected by James (2000) and Penhallurick & Wink (2004). However, there are morphological and genetic differences between these forms (Onley & Bartle 1999; Waugh, Prince et al. 1999; BirdLife International 2000; G. Taylor 2000a; T. Burg & Croxall 2001; Holdaway et al. 2001; M. Brooke 2004; Alderman et al. 2005), and full species status for Th. impavida was accepted by the Checklist Committee (2010).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Thalassarche bulleri (Rothschild)
Buller’s Albatross | Toroa*

Breeds only in the New Zealand region; ranges in the Pacific Ocean from eastern Australian seas to the coasts of Chile and Perú (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Spear et al. 2003) and rarely into South Atlantic and South African waters (Curtis 1988; Shirihai 2002). C. Robertson & Nunn (1998) suggested that the two Buller’s albatross subspecies recognised here were full species, but they did not present data to support this recommendation (James 2000). BirdLife International (2000), Holdaway et al. (2001), M. Brooke (2004), Penhallurick & Wink (2004) and Onley & Scofield (2007) regarded these forms as questionably separable at the species level. Bones are recorded from North and South Island Holocene dunes (Millener 1991) and tentatively from a Late Pleistocene site in Otago (Worthy & Grant-Mackie 2003).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

Thalassarche bulleri bulleri (Rothschild)
Southern Buller’s Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea chlororhyncha; Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 5): 202. Not Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin, 1789.

Diomedea chlororhyncha; Finsch 1888, Ibis 6 (5th series): 308. Not Diomedea chlororhynchos Gmelin, 1789.

Diomedea bulleri Rothschild, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1: 58 – New Zealand.

Thalassarche bulleri (Rothschild); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 240.

Diomedea bulleri Rothschild; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17. In part.

Diomedea bulleri bulleri Rothschild; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 20.

Thalassarche bulleri bulleri (Rothschild); M. Brooke 2004, Albatrosses and Petrels across the World: 211.

Breeds on the Snares Islands / Tini Heke and the Solander Islands (Hautere) (Sagar & Stahl 2005). During the breeding season, commonly found off the South Island of New Zealand and off south-east Australia; less often seen south to Macquarie Island and north to the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua; migrates to the eastern South Pacific Ocean off Chile and Perú (Sagar & Weimerskirch 1996; Stahl et al. 1998; Stahl & Sagar 2000a,b, 2006; T. Reid et al. 2002). One ashore on Middle Sister Island, Chatham Islands, in 1996 (Miskelly et al. 2006).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

Thalassarche bulleri platei (Reichenow)
Northern Buller’s Albatross

Diomedea platei Reichenow, 1898: Ornith. Monatsberichte 6: 190 – Cavancha, Iquique, Chile.

Thalassarche bulleri; C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 393. Not Diomedea bulleri Rothschild, 1893.

Diomedea bulleri Rothschild; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17. In part.

Diomedea bulleri platei Reichenow; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 20.

Thalassarche nov. sp. (platei); C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Thalassarche bulleri platei; M. Brooke 2004, Albatrosses and Petrels across the World: 211.

Thalassarche bulleri ssp. nov. (not platei); Onley & Scofield 2007, Albatrosses, Petrels & Shearwaters World: 140.

Breeds mainly on The Sisters and Motuhara / The Forty Fours, Chatham Islands (C. Robertson 1991); one bird ashore on The Pyramid, Chatham Islands (Miskelly et al. 2006). Up to 34 pairs nest on Rosemary Rock, Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands (A. Wright 1984; McCallum et al. 1985; Parrish 2006; Rayner et al. 2020). Ranges mainly about the Chatham Islands and in seas east of the North Island (Stahl et al. 1998) but recorded south into the subantarctic (Imber et al. 2005). At least partially migratory in the non-breeding season to seas off western South America (Stahl et al. 1998). Absent from Chatham Islands seas from late Jun. to early Sep. (Stahl et al. 1998). C. Robertson & Nunn (1998) suggested that the holotype of Th. b. platei was actually a juvenile Th. b. bulleri but they did not present data to support this claim. Holocene remains known from the Chatham Islands (Millener 1991, 1999).

➤ Thalassarche cauta (Gould)
White-capped Albatross | Toroa

The taxonomic status of various forms of the “white-capped albatross” complex is debated (e.g. L. Cole 2000; Holdaway et al. 2001; Shirihai 2002; Abbott & Double 2003a; Double et al. 2003; M. Brooke 2004; Onley & Scofield 2007). Two subspecies (one breeding in Tasmania, the other on the New Zealand subantarctic islands) of Th. cauta are recognised here. Abbott & Double’s genetic studies (2003a,b) indicate that the Tasmanian population was derived from a small number of birds colonising from the New Zealand population. Small numbers occur (subspecies unknown) off South America; one vagrant seen near Macquarie Island (Marchant & Higgins 1990; L. Cole 2000; Phalan et al. 2004; Pereira et al. 2016). One bird (subspecies uncertain) off Oregon in 1996 and possibly the same bird seen until 2000 in the north-east Pacific (L. Cole 2000). The common name used here follows Checklist Committee (1990), but albatross is used in preference to mollymawk. Also known as shy albatross (mollymawk).

Thalassarche cauta cauta (Gould)
Tasmanian Albatross

Diomedea cauta Gould, 1841: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1840 (8): 177 – Bass Strait, Australia.

Thalassogeron cautus (Gould); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 449.

Thalassogeron layardi Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 450 – off Cape of Good Hope.

Thalassogeron cautus cautus (Gould); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 293.

Thalassogeron cautus layardi Salvin; Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 293.

Diomedella cauta rohui Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 55 – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Diomedella cauta wallaca Mathews, 1918: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 160. Unnecessary nomen novum for Diomedella cauta rohui Mathews, 1916.

Diomedella cauta (Gould); Mathews 1920, Austral Avian Rec. 4: 68.

Diomedella cauta cauta (Gould); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 132.

Diomedea cauta cauta Gould; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17. In part.

Thalassarche cauta; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Thalassarche cauta cauta (Gould); M. Brooke 2004, Albatrosses and Petrels across the World: 200.

Breeds on Tasmanian Islands (Albatross Island, Pedra Branca, and Mewstone); adults relatively sedentary but some, mainly immatures, range to Western Australia and South African waters (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Brothers et al. 1997, 1998; Hedd et al. 2001; BirdLife International 2004; Hedd & Gales 2005). Vagrant in Feb. to Mar. 1981 to the Red Sea and 1999–2000 to the north-east Pacific (L. Cole 2000). The first New Zealand record was a Mewstone bird recovered at the Waikato River mouth in Jul. 1989, two years and three months after being banded as a chick (Anon. 1990; Brothers et al. 1997). Birds photographed in Cook Strait, May 2016, and off Stewart Island / Rakiura, Feb. 2017, were accepted by the Records Appraisal Committee (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017, 2019); however, Tennyson (2020b) subsequently showed that bill colouration is not a reliable way to separate the two subspecies. The common name used here follows Onley & Scofield (2007).

Thalassarche cauta steadi Falla
New Zealand White-capped Albatross | Toroa*

Thalassarche cauta; Loomis 1918, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2(2): 45. Not Diomedea cauta Gould, 1841.

Thalassarche cauta steadi Falla, 1933: Rec. Auck. Inst. Museum 1: 179 – Foveaux Strait, restricted to off Port Pegasus, Stewart Island (fide Miskelly 2012a).

Diomedella cauta steadi (Falla); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 157.

Diomedea cauta cauta Gould; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17. In part.

Thalassarche cauta cauta; Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 170. Not Diomedea cauta Gould, 1841.

Diomedea cauta steadi (Falla); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 17.

Thalassarche steadi; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Breeds at the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka: mainly on Disappointment Island, fewer on Auckland and Adams Islands (Tennyson et al. 1998; G. Taylor 2000a; Flux 2002; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020; K. Walker et al. 2020). A recent colonist (c. 20 pairs) on Bollons Island, Antipodes Islands, and one pair has nested on Motuhara / The Forty Fours, Chatham Islands (C. Robertson et al. 1997; Tennyson et al. 1998; Imber et al. 2005; Miskelly et al. 2006). Ranges north into seas off mainland New Zealand (e.g. Onley 1992; Petyt 1995) and reaches Australian and southern African seas; one reached the north-east Pacific in Sep. 1951, one was ashore at South Georgia in 2003, and there is one record from Brazil (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Brothers et al. 1997; L. Cole 2000; Double et al. 2003; Anon. 2004b; Phalan et al. 2004; Abbott et al. 2006; Pereira et al. 2016). A male crossed with a female T. melanophris on Bird Island, South Georgia, produced chicks each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10, with one fledging successfully (Burton & Croxall 2012). Identified from Holocene dune deposits at the Auckland / Maukahuka Islands (Tennyson 2020a). The common name used here follows Checklist Committee (1990), but albatross is used in preference to mollymawk.

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Thalassarche eremita Murphy
Chatham Island Albatross | Toroa*

Nealbatrus chlororhynchus; Belcher 1914, Ibis 2 (10th series): 594. In part.

Thalassarche cauta eremita Murphy, 1930: American Mus. Novit. 419: 4 – The Pyramid, Chatham Islands.

Thalassarche eremita; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 163.

Diomedella cauta eremita (Murphy); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 157.

Thalassarche (Diomedella) cauta eremita Murphy; C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 393.

Diomedea cauta eremita (Murphy); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 17.

Thalassarche eremita; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 126, 175.

Breeds at the Chatham Islands on The Pyramid (C. Robertson et al. 2000; P. Latham et al. 2004). One nest has been found on Western Chain, Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Miskelly et al. 2001a). At sea, ranges to mainland New Zealand and, in the non-breeding season, to waters off Chile and Perú (C. Robertson et al. 2000; Spear et al. 2003; BirdLife International 2004; P. Latham et al. 2004; Collins 2006a). The species occasionally reaches New South Wales and Tasmanian waters and has been seen ashore on Albatross Island, Bass Strait (T. Reid & James 1997; Palliser 1999; P. Latham et al. 2004). Two records off South Africa (Ryan 2002; Shirihai 2002). Formerly treated as a subspecies of T. cauta, but accepted as a full species by the Checklist Committee (2010), following the recommendations of C. Robertson (in Marchant & Higgins 1990), C. Robertson & Nunn (1998), Onley & Bartle (1999), BirdLife International (2000), Holdaway et al. (2001), M. Brooke (2004), and Onley & Scofield (2007). Holocene remains known from the Chatham Islands (Millener 1999). The common name used here follows Onley & Bartle (1999) and Holdaway et al. (2001).

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

➤ Thalassarche salvini (Rothschild)
Salvin’s Albatross | Toroa*

Diomedea cauta; Buller 1878, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 10: 217. Not Diomedea cauta Gould, 1841.

Thalassogeron salvini Rothschild, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1: 58 – New Zealand.

Diomedea salvini (Rothschild); Buller 1895, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 27: 122.

Thalassogeron cautus salvini Rothschild; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 240.

Diomedella cauta salvini (Rothschild); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 133.

Diomedea cauta peruvia Mathews, 1933: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 53: 185 – western Perú.

Diomedella cauta atlantica Mathews, 1933: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 53: 213 – 35°44’S, 53°W, south-west Atlantic Ocean, off Argentina.

Diomedea cauta salvini (Rothschild); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 18.

Thalassarche salvini; C. Robertson & Nunn 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 19.

Breeds on the Bounty Islands and on Western Chain, Snares Islands / Tini Heke (C. Robertson & van Tets 1982; BirdLife International 2000; Miskelly et al. 2001a). Breeding attempts have been reported from The Pyramid and Motuhara / The Forty Fours, Chatham Islands (Miskelly et al. 2006). Ranges north to south-east Australian and mainland New Zealand seas (e.g. Marchant & Higgins 1990; K. Wood 1992; Petyt 1995; T. Reid et al. 2002), particularly east of New Zealand (e.g. Freeman 1992; Imber 1994), and migrates to seas off Perú and Chile (Arata 2003; Spear et al. 2003). Small numbers occur in the Indian Ocean, including a few pairs discovered breeding on Penguin Island (Crozet Islands) and one bird attempting to nest on Kerguelen Island (Shirihai 2002). Vagrant in the South Atlantic (P. Harrison 1984; Jouventin 1990; Phalan et al. 2004; Seco Pon et al. 2007) and may reach South African waters (Ryan 2001). One on the Hawai’ian Islands in Apr. 2003 (C. Robertson et al. 2005). Formerly treated as a subspecies of T. cauta, but accepted as a full species by the Checklist Committee (2010), following the recommendations of C. Robertson (in Marchant & Higgins 1990), C. Robertson & Nunn (1998), Onley & Bartle (1999), BirdLife International (2000), Holdaway et al. (2001), M. Brooke (2004), and Onley & Scofield (2007). The common name used here follows that used in the latter five publications.

*Used as a general name for Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses.

Genus Phoebetria Reichenbach

Phoebetria Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: 5 – Type species (by original designation) Diomedea fuliginosa Gmelin = Phoebetria palpebrata (J.R. Forster).

➤ Phoebetria fusca (Hilsenberg)
Sooty Albatross

Diomedea fusca Hilsenberg, 1822: in Froriep’s Notiz. 3(5): 74 – Mozambique Channel, Africa.

Phoebetria fusca campbelli Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 304 – Australian seas.

Phoebetria fusca fusca (Hilsenberg); Nichols & Murphy, 1914: Auk 31: 532.

Phoebetria [palpebrata] fusca (Hilsenberg); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 158.

Diomedea palpebrata fusca Hilsenberg; Clancey 1965, Ostrich 36: 51.

Phoebetria fusca (Hilsenberg); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 57.

Breeds on subtropical and subantarctic islands in the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans: Gough, Tristan da Cunha, Prince Edward, Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen, Amsterdam, and St Paul Islands; ranges at sea in these oceans between 30°S and antarctic waters and regularly reaches seas south of Australia (Marchant & Higgins 1990; T. Reid et al. 2002). Five accepted records in the New Zealand region: north of the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka, Feb. 1991; on the Pukaki Rise, Nov. 1993 (Scofield 1994b; Medway 2000a); Challenger Plateau, Jun. 1994; Antipodes Islands, Nov. 1995 (Tennyson et al. 2002); and off Little Mangere Island, Chatham Islands, Dec. 2006 (Miskelly et al. 2013). One record from Macquarie Island (Onley & Scofield 2007). The record west of the North Island by C. Jowett (Tickell 2000: 117) is poorly documented and seems doubtful.

➤ Phoebetria palpebrata (J.R. Forster)
Light-mantled Sooty Albatross | Toroa Pango

Diomedea palpebrata J.R. Forster, 1785: Mém. Math. Phys. Paris (Acad. Sci.) 10: 571, pl. 15 – 64°S, 38°E = Indian Ocean, south of Prince Edward and Marion Islands (fide Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 133).

Diomedea fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 568. Unnecessary nomen novum for Diomedea palpebrata J.R. Forster, 1785 (fide Medway 1998, in G. Robertson & Gales (Eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation: 10).

Diomedea antarctica G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 650. Unnecessary nomen novum for Diomedea palpebrata J.R. Forster, 1785.

Diomedea fuliginosa var. cornicoides Hutton, 1867: Ibis 3 (new series): 186, 192 – at sea, South Atlantic Ocean, south Indian Ocean and Tasman Sea, between 36°28’S, 2°18’E and 37°26’S, 163°54’E.

Diomedia [sic] fuliginosa Gmelin; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Diomedea (Phoebetria) fuliginosa Gmelin; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 109.

Diomedea fuliginosa Gmelin; Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 5): 205.

Phoebetria cornicoides (Hutton); Ogilvie-Grant 1905, Ibis 5 (8th series): 560.

Phoebetria fuliginosa (Gmelin); Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 155.

Phoebetria palpebrata huttoni Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 297 – New Zealand seas.

Phoebetria palpebrata antarctica Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 302 – South Georgia. Junior secondary homonym of Diomedea antarctica G.R. Gray, 1844.

Phoebetria palpebrata palpebrata (J.R. Forster); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 303.

Phoebetria palpebrata auduboni Nichols & Murphy, 1914: Auk 31: 531 – “mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon”, error for South Pacific Ocean (fide Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 158).

Phoebetria palpebrata murphyi Mathews & Iredale, 1921: Man. Birds of Australia: 50. Unnecessary nomen novum for Phoebetria palpebrata antarctica Mathews, 1912.

Phoebetria palpebrata (J.R. Forster); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 18.

Breeds at South Georgia, Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, Macquarie, Campbell / Motu Ihupuku, Auckland / Maukahuka, and Antipodes Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Circumpolar, ranging mainly between 35°S and the coasts of Antarctica but occasionally north to 20°S (Lovegrove 1978; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Robertson & Weimerskirch 1993; Weimerskirch & Robertson 1994); has straggled north of the equator (Morlan 1994; Mlodinow 1999). Occasionally beach-wrecked on mainland New Zealand (Powlesland 1985), including one banded juvenile from the Crozet Islands (Barrat et al. 1973). Recorded as Holocene bones at the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka, and on Chatham Island (Millener 1991, 1999; Tennyson 2020a).

Family OCEANITIDAE Salvin: Southern Storm Petrels

Oceanitinae Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 343, 358 – Type genus Oceanites Keyserling & Blasius, 1840.

Genus Oceanites Keyserling & Blasius

Oceanites Keyserling & Blasius, 1840: Wirbelthiere Europa’s: xciii, 131, 238 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria wilsoni Bonaparte = Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl).

Procellata Bianchi, 1913: Faune Russie, Oiseaux 1(2): 805 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria oceanica Kuhl = Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl).

The subgenera of Oceanites used by Checklist Committee (1990) are not followed here because we recognise no other subgenera in the Procellariiformes.

➤ Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl)
Wilson’s Storm Petrel

Procellaria oceanica Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 136, pl. 10, fig. 1 (ex Banks MS) – no locality = South Atlantic Ocean off the mouth of Rio de la Plata (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 13).

Procellaria wilsoni Bonaparte, 1824: Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 3(2): 231, pl. 9, fig. 2 – Newfoundland, Canada.

Thalassidroma wilsoni (Bonaparte); Audubon 1839, Birds Amer. 8: 106, pl. 460.

Thalassidroma oceanica (Kuhl); Schinz 1840, European Fauna 1: 397, pl. 1.

Oceanites wilsoni (Bonaparte); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 199.

Oceanites oceanica (Kuhl); Coues 1875, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 2: 30.

Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 358.

Oceanites oceanica (Kuhl); A. Hamilton 1909, Hand-list Birds New Zealand: 5.

Oceanites (Oceanites) oceanicus (Kuhl); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 58.

Breeds on coasts and islands of Antarctica and on subantarctic archipelagos as far north as the Crozet Islands (46°S); migrates to north of the equator in all oceans (B. Roberts 1940; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Two subspecies usually recognised; those breeding north of the Antarctic Convergence are O. o. oceanicus and those breeding south of the convergence are O. o. exasperatus (Bretagnolle 1989; Marchant & Higgins 1990). A New Zealand Holocene record, presumably CM Av23130 from Punakaiki (Checklist Committee 1990: 58), has been reidentified as probably being Fregetta maoriana (Worthy 2000). Near New Zealand, one pair of O. o. oceanicus reported from Bishop Island, south of Macquarie Island (G. Baker et al. 2002; Garnett & Crowley 2002).

Oceanites oceanicus exasperatus Mathews
Wilson’s Storm Petrel

Oceanites oceanicus exasperatus Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 11, pl. 68 – New Zealand seas, restricted to islands south of New Zealand (fide B. Roberts 1940, British Graham Land Exped. 1934–37 Scientific Reports 1: 150).

Oceanites oceanicus oceanicus; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 29. Not Procellaria oceanica Kuhl, 1820.

Oceanites (Oceanites) oceanicus exasperatus Mathews; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 58.

Breeds on coasts and islands of Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, including many Ross Sea localities, Balleny and Scott Islands; migrates north of the equator (Huber 1971; Nakamura et al. 1983; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Mathews’ type specimen is from New Zealand seas, and most other New Zealand records are considered to be this subspecies (e.g. Falla et al. 1981; Checklist Committee 1990). Generally uncommon passage migrant past New Zealand; mainly seen Mar.–May, with exceptionally high numbers (hundreds) noted in Apr. 1990 and Mar.–Apr. 1999 (Petyt 2001b).

Genus Garrodia Forbes

Garrodia Forbes, 1881: Coll. Sci. Papers Garrod: 521 (footnote) – Type species (by original designation) Thalassidroma nereis Gould = Garrodia nereis (Gould).

Garrodia is sometimes regarded as a junior synonym of Oceanites (e.g. Mathews 1912–13, 1948; Condon 1975; Olson 1985a; Checklist Committee 1990; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Garnett & Crowley 2002) but is recognised here pending a recommended comprehensive review of storm petrel genera (Holdaway et al. 2001).

➤ Garrodia nereis (Gould)
Grey-backed Storm Petrel | Reoreo

Thalassidroma Nereis Gould, 1841: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1840 (8): 178 – Bass Strait, Australia.

Procellaria nereis (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 196.

Procellaria (Procellaria) nereis (Gould); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 104.

Thalassidroma nereis Gould; Hutton 1871, Cat. Birds N.Z.: 49.

Garrodia nereis (Gould); Buller 1888 (May), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 7): 247.

Oceanites nereis nereis (Gould); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 15.

Procellaria saltatrix Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 16 (ex Solander MS) – 110 km south-east of Kaikoura.

Procellaria longipes Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 17 (ex Solander MS) – off New Zealand.

Oceanites nereis chubbi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 18 – Falkland Islands, South Atlantic Ocean.

Oceanites nereis couesi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 18 – Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean.

Garrodia nereis nereis (Gould); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 223.

Garrodia nereis chubbi (Mathews); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 313.

Garrodia nereis (Gould); Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 29.

Oceanites (Garrodia) nereis (Gould); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 58.

A circumpolar, predominantly subantarctic, species breeding on Falkland, South Georgia, Gough, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Auckland / Maukahuka, Campbell / Motu Ihupuku, Antipodes, and Chatham Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; D. Barker et al. 2005) and probably on Macquarie Island and in Fiordland (Rounsevell & Brothers 1984; Miskelly, Stahl et al. 2017, 2021). Apparently fairly sedentary (Serventy et al. 1971; Watson et al. 1971; Imber 1981) but straggles to northern New Zealand seas (J. Jenkins & Croxall 1970; Watson et al. 1971; Langlands 1989; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Gaskin & Baird 2005; Miskelly 2006; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). Recorded as Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones from the North, South, and Chatham Islands, and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Millener 1981a, 1991; Holdaway et al. 2001; Worthy, Holdaway et al. 2002; Tennyson 2020a).

Genus Pelagodroma Reichenbach

Pelagodroma Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: iv – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria marina Latham = Pelagodroma marina (Latham).

Pelagodroma is occasionally regarded as a junior synonym of Oceanites (e.g. Mathews 1948; Olson 1985a). The Kermadec storm petrel, previously considered to be a subspecies of Pelagodroma marina, is here treated as a separate species, following the recommendation of Holdaway et al. (2001).

➤ Pelagodroma marina (Latham)
White-faced Storm Petrel | Takahikare

Procellaria Fregata Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 561. Based on “Frigate Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 410 – latitude 37°S = about mouth of the Rio de la Plata (fide Mathews 1936, Emu 36: 98). Junior primary homonym of Procellaria fregata Linnaeus, 1766.

Procellaria marina Latham, 1790: Index Ornith.: 826 (ex Solander MS). Based on “Frigate Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 410 – Southern Ocean = 35°S to 37°S, off the mouth of the Rio de la Plata (fide Murphy 1924, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 50: 233).

Procellaria Fregatta Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 138 (ex Banks MS) – latitude 37°S.

Procellaria Fregata J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 180 – Tahiti, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria fregata Linnaeus, 1766.

Thalassidroma fregetta (Kuhl); G.R. Gray 1844, Gen. Birds 3: 648. Unjustified emendation.

Thalassidroma marina (Kuhl) [sic]; G.R. Gray 1844, Gen. Birds 3: 648.

Procellaria aequorea G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 648 (ex Solander MS) – no locality.

Thalassidroma marina (Latham); G.R. Gray 1845, in Richardson & J.E. Gray (Eds), Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds 1(3): 17.

Pelagodroma fregata; Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 769. Not Procellaria fregata Linnaeus, 1766.

Thalassidroma fregata; Buller 1873 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 5): 321. Not Procellaria fregata Linnaeus, 1766.

Pelagodroma marina (Latham); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 362.

Procellaria a’quorea Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 23 (ex Solander MS) – 37°S off South America.

Widespread in temperate and subtropical parts of Atlantic, Indian and South Pacific Oceans, reaching subantarctic seas and migrating to tropical and subtropical waters (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Five subspecies recognised following Marchant & Higgins (1990) and Holdaway et al. (2001): P. m. marina from Tristan da Cunha group and Gough Islands; P. m. hypoleuca Moquin-Tandon, 1841 from Ilhas Selvagens and Canary Islands; P. m. eadesorum Bourne, 1953 from Cape Verde Islands; and the two locally occurring subspecies (Marchant & Higgins 1990; M. Brooke 2004 – see below).

Pelagodroma marina maoriana Mathews
New Zealand White-faced Storm Petrel | Takahikare

Procellaria (Pelagodroma) fregata; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 104. Not Procellaria fregata Linnaeus, 1766.

Thalassidroma marina; Hutton 1872, Ibis 2 (3rd series): 249. Not Procellaria marina Latham, 1790.

Pelagodroma marina maoriana Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 24 – Chatham Islands and Auckland Islands, restricted to Auckland Islands (fide Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 224).

Procellaria passerina Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 24 (ex Solander MS) – Pacific Ocean, 29°10’S, 159°20’W.

Pelagodroma marina passerina (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 193.

Breeds on many islands off the North Island: Motuopao (Pierce 1992), Moturoa, Cavalli, Poor Knights, Mokohinau, Mercury, The Noises, Horuhoru Rock (Gannet Rock), Cow, Motuokino (Shag Rock), Ohinauiti, The Aldermen, Motunau (Plate; Bay of Plenty), East (Whangaokeno) and Motumahanga (Saddleback; off New Plymouth) (Falla 1934; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor 2000b). Further south, breeds on Sentinel Rock (Cook Strait), Motunau Island (Canterbury), the Otago coast, several islands around Stewart Island / Rakiura (Richdale 1943; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor 2000b; Cuming 2003), the Chatham Islands (M. Bell & Bell 2003) and formerly on Auckland Island / Maukahuka (R. Murphy & Irving 1951; G. Taylor 2000b; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Possibly breeds at Manawatāwhi / Three Kings (Marchant & Higgins 1990), Portland Island (Hawke’s Bay; Foreman 2001) and Makaro / Ward Island (Wellington Harbour; Miskelly 2003a). Migrates to the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, particularly between Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands (Imber 1984b; Pitman 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Spear & Ainley 2007). Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden records from North, South, Stewart, and Chatham Islands, and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Millener 1991; Worthy 1998c; Tennyson 2020a).

Pelagodroma marina dulciae Mathews
Australian White-faced Storm Petrel

Pelagodroma marina dulciae Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 20 (key), 21 – Breaksea Island, off Albany, Western Australia.

Pelagodroma marina howei Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 26 – Mud Island, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia.

Pelagodroma marina dulciae Mathews; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 59.

Breeds on Australian islands from Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia, to Bass Strait and Tasmania, and to Broughton Island, New South Wales (Serventy et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Baker et al. 2002). Migrates to the north Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, and tropical eastern Pacific Ocean (Imber 1984b; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Spear & Ainley 2007). Straggles to northern New Zealand: Muriwai Beach, May 1983; off Kawhia, Apr. 2016 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2021).

➤ Pelagodroma albiclunis Murphy & Irving
Kermadec Storm Petrel

Pelagodroma marina albiclunis Murphy & Irving, 1951: American Mus. Novit. 1506: 15 – Sunday [= Raoul] Island, Kermadec Islands.

Pelagodroma albiclunis Murphy & Irving; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 174.

Breeding confirmed only on Haszard Island, Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua (Baird & Imber 2006). Many records at sea around the Kermadec Islands and a few caught ashore on Macauley Island (Veitch et al. 2004; Baird & Imber 2006). Once seen off eastern Australia (4 birds; J. Jenkins 1982a) and one seen off Lord Howe Island (McAllan et al. 2004). Perhaps formerly bred in the Lord Howe and Norfolk Island groups (based on Holocene bones; Meredith 1985; Holdaway et al. 2001; McAllan et al. 2004).

Genus Fregetta Bonaparte

Fregetta Bonaparte, 1855: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 41: 1113 – Type species (by original designation) Thalassidroma leucogaster Gould = Fregetta grallaria leucogaster (Gould).

Cymodroma Ridgway, 1884: Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. 13: 363, 418 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria grallaria Vieillot = Fregetta grallaria (Vieillot).

Pealea Ridgway, 1886: Auk 3: 334 – Type species (by original designation) Thalassidroma lineata Peale = Fregetta tropica (Gould).

Fregettornis Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 31 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria grallaria Vieillot = Fregetta grallaria (Vieillot).

Pealeornis Mathews, 1932: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 132 – Type species (by original designation) Pealeornis maoriana Mathews = Fregetta maoriana (Mathews).

Fregodroma Mathews, 1937: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 57: 145 – Type species (by original designation) Thalassidroma tropica Gould = Fregetta tropica (Gould).

Fregolla Mathews, 1937: Emu 37: 142 – Type species (by original designation) Fregetta melanoleuca Salvadori = Fregetta tropica (Gould). As subgenus of Fregodroma.

Fregandria Mathews, 1938: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 59: 10. Unnecessary nomen novum for Fregolla Mathews, 1937.

➤ Fregetta grallaria (Vieillot)
White-bellied Storm Petrel

Procellaria grallaria Vieillot, 1818: Nouv. Dict. Hist. Nat., nouv. éd. 25: 418 – “Nouvelle-Hollande” = Australia.

Procellaria aquerea Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 138 (ex Banks MS) – 37°S.

Cymodroma grallaria (Vieillot); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 366.

Fregettornis grallarius (Vieillot); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 32.

Fregetta lineata; Murphy 1924, American Mus. Novit. 124: 7. Not Thalassidroma lineata Peale, 1848.

Fregettornis grallaria aquerea (Kuhl); Mathews 1936, Emu 36: 98.

Fregetta grallaria Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 30.

A widespread but uncommon subtropical breeding species. Five subspecies: F. g. grallaria breeds on Lord Howe and the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua; F. g. leucogaster (Gould, 1844) on Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough Islands in the South Atlantic, and Roche Quille (off St Paul Island) in the Indian Ocean; F. g. segethi (Philippi & Landbeck, 1860) on Santa Clara and Morro Vinillo, Juan Fernández Islands, and possibly on San Ambrosio, Chile; F. g. titan Murphy, 1928 on islets off Rapa; F. g. guttata (Mathews, 1933) off the Marquesas Islands (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Thibault & Varney 1991; M. Brooke 2004; B. Robertson et al. 2016; Flood et al. 2021). Apparently disperses northward into the tropics after breeding (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Marchant & Higgins 1990).

Fregetta grallaria grallaria (Vieillot)
White-bellied Storm Petrel

Procellaria grallaria Vieillot, 1818: Nouv. Dict. Hist. Nat., nouv. éd. 25: 418 – “Nouvelle-Hollande” = Australia.

Fregetta grallaria (Vieillot); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 197. In part.

Procellaria (Pelagodroma) grallaria Vieillot; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 104.

Fregettornis royanus Mathews, 1914: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 86 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Fregettornis insularis Mathews, 1915: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 124 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Fregettornis alisteri Mathews, 1915: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 124 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Fregettornis innominatus Mathews, 1915: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 124 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Cymodroma grallaria insularis (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 110.

Cymodroma royana (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 110.

Cymodroma howensis Mathews, 1928: Birds Norfolk & Lord Howe Islands: 11 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Fregetta leucogaster deceptis Mathews, 1932: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 146 – New Zealand.

Fregettornis grallaria innominatus Mathews; Mathews 1933, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 44.

Fregettornis royana [sic] Mathews; Mathews 1933, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 48.

Fregettornis grallaria royana [sic] Mathews; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 195.

Fregodroma deceptis deceptis; Mathews 1937, Emu 37: 141.

Fregetta grallaria (Vieillot) subspecies; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 26.

Fregetta grallaria grallaria (Vieillot); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 62.

F. [g.] grallaria; Flood et al. 2021: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 141: 396.
Breeds on the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua (Macauley and Curtis Islands; Veitch et al. 2004) and extralimitally on Lord Howe (G. Baker et al. 2002; McAllan et al. 2004). At sea, generally ranges to the north and east of its breeding grounds, including into the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (Spear & Ainley 2007). Apart from records from the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua, very few records from the New Zealand region: “off New Zealand” (Mathews 1933); two off Farewell Spit, Nov. 1969; off the Poor Knights Islands, Dec. 1969 (J. Jenkins & Croxall 1970); Waikawa Beach, Jul. 1975; Ninety Mile Beach, Apr. 1978; Piha Beach, May 1985 (Powlesland 1987); and at sea between Hauturu / Little Barrier and Great Barrier / Aotea Islands, Jan. 1991 (Guest 1992). The Jun. 1987 Hampden Beach record (Powlesland 1989b; Checklist Committee 1990) was a misidentification (Darby & Schweigman 1993), as was the Mar. 1990 Christchurch city specimen (L. Shand 1992), which is Oceanites o. exasperatus (CM Av29600). Given the recent rediscovery of Fregetta maoriana, other records should be treated with caution also.

➤ Fregetta tropica (Gould)
Black-bellied Storm Petrel | Takahikare-rangi

Thalassidroma tropica Gould, 1844: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 366 – equatorial regions of Atlantic Ocean = 6°33’N, 16°06’W (fide R. Murphy & Snyder 1952, American Mus. Novit. 1596: 9).

Thalassidroma melanogaster Gould, 1844: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 367 – off St Paul and Amsterdam Islands, Indian Ocean.

Thalassidroma lineata Peale, 1848: U.S. Expl. Exped. 8: 293 – Upolu, Samoa, (fide R. Murphy & Snyder 1952, American Mus. Novit. 1596: 9) = ?Drake Strait or Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica (fide Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 108).

Fregetta melanogastra (Gould); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 769. Unjustified emendation.

Fregetta tropica (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 197.

Thalassidroma (Fregetta) melanogaster Gould; G.R. Gray 1859, Cat. Birds Tropical Is Pacific Ocean: 56.

Thalassidroma (Fregetta) tropica Gould; G.R. Gray 1859, Cat. Birds Tropical Is Pacific Ocean: 56.

Procellaria melanogastra (Gould); Schlegel, 1863: Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 6. Unjustified emendation.

Oceanites lineata (Peale); Coues 1864, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 83, 91.

Thalassidroma melanogastra (Gould); Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 370. Unjustified emendation.

Procellaria (Oceanites) lineata (Peale); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 104.

Procellaria (Pelagodroma) melanogaster (Gould); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 105.

Oceanitis [sic] tropica (Gould); Sharpe 1879, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London 168: 130.

Oceanites melanogastra; Pagenstecher, 1885: Jahrbuch Wiss. Hamburg 2: 18. Unjustified emendation.

Fregetta melanogaster (Gould); Buller 1888 (May), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 7): 249.

Pealea lineata (Peale); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 364.

Cymodroma melanogaster (Gould); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 364.

Pealea lineata (Peale); Godman 1907, Monograph Petrels 1: 57, pl. 16. In part.

Fregetta melanoleuca Salvadori, 1908: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 21: 79 – Tristan da Cunha, restricted to Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean (fide Bourne 1962, in Palmer (ed.) Handb. North Amer. Birds 1: 252).

Fregetta tubulata Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 42 (ex Gould 1844) – near the coast of Australia.

Fregetta tropica melanogaster (Gould); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 224.

Fregetta tropica australis Mathews, 1914: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 86 – New Zealand.

Fregetta fregata; Mathews 1933, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 37. Not Procellaria fregata Linnaeus, 1766.

Fregetta tropica australia [sic] Mathews; Mathews 1933, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 40.

Fregettornis melanoleuca; Mathews 1933, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 47.

Fregetta leucothysanus Mathews, 1937: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 57: 146 – south Indian Ocean, 37°30’S, 42°E.

Fregodroma deceptis leucothysanus; Mathews 1937, Emu 37: 141.

Fregodroma tropica; Mathews 1937, Emu 37: 141.

Fregodroma tropica melanogaster; Mathews 1937, Emu 37: 142.

Fregodroma tropica australis; Mathews 1937, Emu 37: 142.

Fregolla melanoleuca (Salvadori); Mathews 1937, Emu 37: 142.

Cymodroma tropica (Gould); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 157.

Cymodroma lineata (Peale); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 157.

Fregetta tropica (Gould); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 26.

Fregetta tropica tropica (Gould); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 108.

Fregetta tropica melanoleuca Salvadori; Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 108.

Breeds on South Shetland, South Orkney, and South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia, Gough?, Bouvetøya?, Prince Edward, Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, Auckland / Maukahuka, and Antipodes Islands (Beck & Brown 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Convey et al. 1999; M. Brooke 2004; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Range circumpolar in subantarctic and antarctic seas; migrates to the tropics in all oceans, including the south-west Pacific Ocean north of New Zealand (Watson et al. 1971; Lovegrove 1978; Marchant & Higgins 1990). In New Zealand seas, common in the subantarctic but rarer further north; locally breeding populations probably migrating to the Coral Sea in winter (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Petyt 1995, 2001b; Gaskin & Baird 2005). Recorded as Holocene remains from the Chatham Islands and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Millener 1991; Tennyson 2020a).

➤ Fregetta maoriana (Mathews)
New Zealand Storm Petrel | Takahikare-raro

Oceanites lineata; Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 200. Not Thalassidroma lineata Peale, 1848.

Pealea lineata (Peale); Godman 1907, Monograph Petrels 1: 57, pl. 16. In part.

Fregetta lineata; Stidolph 1927, Emu 26: 214. Not Thalassidroma lineata Peale, 1848.

Fregetta lineata; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 100. In part.

Pealeornis maoriana Mathews, 1932: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 132 – Banks Peninsula.

Cymodroma maoriana (Mathews); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 157.

Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl); R. Murphy & Snyder 1952, American Mus. Novit. 1596: 12. In part.

Oceanites oceanicus exasperatus; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 26. In part.

Oceanites maorianus; Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds. 2nd edition: 100.

Oceanites oceanicus maorianus (Mathews); Marchant & Higgins 1990, HANZAB 1: 675.

Fregetta maoriana (Mathews); B. Robertson et al. 2011, Mol. Phyl. Evol. 63: 952.

Pealiornis [sic] maoriana; C. Robertson 2012, Notornis 59: 91. Misspelling.

Three museum specimens collected at sea off the east coast of New Zealand: two off East Cape (probably in Feb. 1827) and one off Banks Peninsula (19th Century; Bourne et al. 2004; Medway 2004a). Not subsequently recorded until many sightings at sea off north-east New Zealand, from Jan. 2003 (e.g. Flood 2003; Stephenson & Saville 2003; Bourne & Jouanin 2004; Flood et al. 2004; Stephenson 2004; Gaskin & Baird 2005; Rare Birds Committee 2005; Scofield 2007). Discovered to be breeding on Hauturu / Little Barrier Island in 2013 (Rayner et al. 2015). Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones, from the South Island West Coast and two North Island sites (near Gisborne and Martinborough), have been tentatively referred to this species (Worthy 2000; Holdaway et al. 2001).

The species forms a monophyletic clade with other Fregetta species. As it is the type species of Pealeornis Mathews, this genus becomes a junior synonym of Fregetta (see Robertson et al. 2011).

Family HYDROBATIDAE Mathews: Northern Storm Petrels

Hydrobatinae Mathews, 1913: Birds Australia 2: 9 – Type genus Hydrobates Boie, 1822.

We use the genus Hydrobates for species formerly included in the genus Oceanodroma, following the recommendations of Dickinson & Remsen (2013) and Chesser et al. (2019), which were based on the analyses of Penhallurick & Wink (2004), B. Robertson et al. (2011), and Wallace et al. (2017).

Genus Hydrobates Boie

Hydrobates Boie, 1822: Isis von Oken, Heft 5: col. 562 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria pelagica Linnaeus, 1758 = Hydrobates pelagicus (Linnaeus).

Oceanodroma Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: iv – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria furcata Gmelin = Hydrobates furcatus (Gmelin).

Cymochorea Coues, 1864: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 75 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria leucorhoa Vieillot = Hydrobates leucorhous (Vieillot).

Halocyptena Coues, 1864: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 78 – Type species (by monotypy) Halocyptena microsoma Coues = Hydrobates microsoma (Coues).

Pacificodroma Bianchi, 1913: Faune Russie, Oiseaux 1(2): 516, 559 – Type species (by original designation) Thalassidroma monorhis Swinhoe = Hydrobates monorhis (Swinhoe).

Bannermania Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 578 – Type species (by monotypy) Thalassidroma hornbyi G.R. Gray = Hydrobates hornbyi (G.R. Gray).

Tethysia Mathews, 1933: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 53: 154 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria tethys Bonaparte = Hydrobates tethys (Bonaparte).

Loomelania Mathews, 1934: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 54: 119 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria melania Bonaparte = Hydrobates melania (Bonaparte).

Thalobata Mathews, 1943: in Mathews & Hallstrom, Notes Procellariiformes: 27 – Type species (by original designation) Thalassidroma castro Harcourt = Hydrobates castro (Harcourt). As a subgenus of Cymochorea.

Stonowa Mathews, 1943: in Mathews & Hallstrom, Notes Procellariiformes: 27 – Type species (by original designation) Cymochorea owstoni Mathews & Iredale = Hydrobates tristrami Salvin. As a subgenus of Cymochorea.

Bianchoma Mathews, 1943: in Mathews & Hallstrom, Notes Procellariiformes: 29 – Type species (by original designation) Cymochorea matsudairae (Kuroda) = Hydrobates matsudairae Kuroda. As a subgenus of Cymochorea.

➤ Hydrobates matsudairae (N. Kuroda, Sr)
Matsudaira’s Storm Petrel

Oceanodroma melania matsudariae Kuroda, 1922: Ibis 4 (11th series): 311 – Sagami Bay, Honshu, Japan.

Cymochorea melania matsudairae (Kuroda); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 190.

Cymochorea matsudairae (Kuroda); Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 28.

Cymochorea (Bianchoma) matsudairae (Kuroda); Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 29.

Oceanodroma matsudeirae; Palmer 1962, Hand. North Amer. Birds 1: 239. Misspelling.

Oceanodroma matsudairae Kuroda, 1922: Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 117.

Halocyptena matsudairae (Kuroda, 1922); Penhallurick & Wink 2004, Emu 104: 137.

Hydrobates matsudairae (Kuroda, Sr, 1922); Dickinson & Remsen 2013, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 1: 174.

Oceanodroma matsudariae Kuroda, 1922; Johnstone, Darnell & Travouillon 2021, Checklist Birds Western Australia: 13.

Note: We are not using the original spelling of this species, as we invoke Article 33.3.1 – prevailing use in the ICZN Code (1999).

Breeds on islands south-east of Japan and migrates to the tropical Indian Ocean (Harrison et al. 2021). One New Zealand record: Maukatia Bay, Auckland west coast, May 2022 (Auckland Museum specimen LB16104; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023).

➤ Hydrobates leucorhous (Vieillot)
Leach’s Storm Petrel

Breeds on islands in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans; migrates to the tropics and subtropics after breeding (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Four subspecies recognised by most authorities (e.g. Power & Ainley 1986; Carboneras 1992a; M. Brooke 2004): H. l. leucorhous breeding widely in the North Atlantic and North Pacific; H. l. chapmani Berlepsch, 1906 breeding on the San Benitos and Los Coronados Islands (Baja California); H. l. socorroensis Townsend, 1890 breeding on Guadalupe Islands (Baja California) in summer; H. l. cheimomnestes Ainley, 1980 breeding on Guadalupe Islands in winter.

Hydrobates leucorhous leucorhous (Vieillot)
Leach’s Storm Petrel

Procellaria leucorhoa Vieillot, 1818: Nouv. Dict. Hist. Nat., nouv. éd. 25: 422 – maritime shores of Picardy, France.

Procellaria leachii Temminck, 1820: Manuel d’Ornith., 2nd edition. 2: 812 – St Kilda, Scotland.

Procellaria Bullockii J.D.D. Fleming, 1828: Hist. Brit. Anim.: 136. Unnecessary nomen novum for Procellaria leachii Temminck, 1820.

Thalassidroma leachii (Temminck); Holböll 1843, Naturhist. Tidsskr. 4: 430.

Thalassidroma Leachii (Temminck); G.R. Gray 1844, Gen. Birds 3: 648.

Oceanodroma leucorrhoa (Vieillot); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 348. Unjustified emendation.

Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot); R. Murphy 1915, Auk 32: 170.

Cymochorea leucorhoa leucorhoa (Vieillot); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 186.

Cymochorea leucorhoa (Vieillot); Mathews 1936, Suppl. Birds Norfolk & Lord Howe Islands: 91.

Cymochorea leucorhoa muriwai Mathews & Hallstrom, 1943: Notes Procellariiformes: 30 – Muriwai Beach.

Cymochorea leucorhoa kaedingi; Mathews 1944, Emu 43: 243. Not Oceanodroma kaedingi Anthony, 1898.

Oceanodroma leucorhoa leucorhoa (Vieillot); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 25.

Hydrobates leucorhous leucorhous (Vieillot); Dickinson & Remsen 2013, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 1: 174.

Breeds on islands between 30°N and 70°N in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans (Carboneras 1992a; M. Brooke 2004). After breeding, migrates mainly to the tropics and subtropics, where non-breeders are present all year (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Rare straggler to New Zealand: Muriwai Beach, Aug. 1922 (Falla 1933; Oliver 1955); Hauraki Plains, Apr. 1978 (Fooks 1978); Dargaville Beach, Aug. 1978 (Veitch 1980); Rabbit Island, Chatham Islands, Nov. 1980 (two prospecting for nest sites; Imber & Lovegrove 1982); Ninety Mile Beach, Oct. 1998 (G. Taylor 2004). A pair was found on an egg on Rangatira Island, Chatham Islands, Feb. 2018 (Southey 2018). The supposed Dec. 1983 Chatham Islands record (Checklist Committee 1990; Marchant & Higgins 1990) was a misidentification (Imber 1994).

Family PROCELLARIIDAE Leach: Fulmars, Petrels, Prions, and Shearwaters

Procellariidae Leach, 1820: Eleventh room. In Synopsis Contents British Museum 17th edition, London: 68 – Type genus Procellaria Linnaeus, 1758.

Subfamilies Procellariinae and Fulmarinae and shearwater subgenus Thyellodroma (as recognised by Checklist Committee 1990) are not accepted here (see Austin 1996; Nunn & Stanley 1998; Kennedy & Page 2002; Austin et al. 2004). The arrangement of species used here follows the traditional order of Jouanin & Mougin (1979), except for the placement of the more recently accepted genera Lugensa, Pseudobulweria, and Ardenna, and the inclusion of Pelecanoides. The species sequence for Ardenna shearwaters follows Pyle et al. (2011). Imber (1985d) concluded that Lugensa should follow the fulmar species and that Pseudobulweria should follow Procellaria. Penhallurick & Wink (2004) also found a close relationship between Pseudobulweria and Procellaria, and Bretagnolle et al. (1998) concluded that Pseudobulweria was closely related to shearwaters, and so here Pseudobulweria is placed between Procellaria and Calonectris.

Prion of La Cépède (1799: 14) has been associated with species now recognised as belonging to Pachyptila Illiger, 1811, but it is a nomen dubium (Mathews & Iredale 1913; Iredale 1913; Mathews 1922). Priamphus Rafinesque (1815), based on Prion La Cépède, is also a nomen dubium.

The following names of relevance to New Zealand taxa are not listed under any species because: Procellaria fregata of Linnaeus (1766) is a nomen dubium (Mathews 1936a); Procellaria nigra of Pallas (1769) is a nomen dubium (Mathews 1934a); Procellaria fuliginosa and P. melanopus of Gmelin (1789) are nomina dubia (Godman 1907–08; Bourne 1995); Procellaria grisea of Kuhl (1820) is both a nomen dubium and a junior primary homonym of Procellaria grisea Gmelin, 1789; Procellaria velox and P. lugens of Kuhl (1820) are nomina dubia (Salvin 1876; Mathews 1912–13; Bourne & Elliott 1965); Procellaria munda and Nectris munda of Kuhl (1820) have been placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Specific Names in Zoology with name numbers 484 and 485 respectively (ICZN 1957).

Genus Macronectes Richmond

Ossifraga Hombron & Jacquinot, 1844: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 18: 356 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria gigantea Gmelin. Junior homonym of Ossifraga Wood, 1835.

Macronectes Richmond, 1905: Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 18: 76. Nomen novum for Ossifraga Hombron & Jacquinot, 1844.

Holocene fossil and midden records (not identified to species) from Enderby Island, Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Tennyson 2020a).

➤ Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin)
Southern Giant Petrel | Pāngurunguru*

Procellaria gigantea Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 563. Based on the “Giant Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 396, pl. 100 – Southern Oceans, restricted to Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands (fide Voisin et al. 1992, Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 49(2): 140).

Procellaria Brasilia Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 140 (ex Latham) – no locality.

Procellaria ossifraga J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 343 – Tierra del Fuego, South America.

Ossifraga gigantea (Gmelin); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 186.

Procellaria gigas Huxley, 1867: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1867(27): 431. Error for “Procellaria gigantea Gmelin”.

Fulmarus (Ossifraga) giganteus (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 105.

Ossifraga alba Potts, 1874: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 6: 152 – off Centre Island, Foveaux Strait.

Macronectes giganteus solanderi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 187 – Falkland Islands, South Atlantic Ocean.

Macronectes giganteus forsteri Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 189 – Valparaiso Bay, Chile.

Macronectes giganteus wilsoni Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 189 – Ross Sea, Antarctica.

Macronectes giganteus albus (Potts); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 234.

Macronectes giganteus dovei Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 54 – Sydney, New South Wales.

Procellaria maxima fusca Mathews, 1933: Emu 33: 138 (ex Anderson) – Tierra del Fuego, South America and Kerguelen Island, South Indian Ocean.

Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 18. In part.

Macronectes giganteus giganteus (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 21.

Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 8.

Breeds on the coasts of Antarctica, in the Chubut Province, and probably at Staten Island (Argentina), at Islas Noir and Islas Diego Ramirez (Chile), Falkland, South Georgia, South Sandwich, South Orkney, South Shetland, Bouvetøya, Gough, Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, and Macquarie Islands (Conroy 1972; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Clark et al. 1992). Ranges from antarctic coasts to about 20°S, straggling occasionally further north, e.g. New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, and Tahiti and once even to France (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Anon. 2004a). Juveniles are common in New Zealand seas, especially from Jun. to Sep. (Sibson 1969; Powlesland 1986). Banded birds from the antarctic mainland, South Georgia, South Orkney, South Shetland, Marion, and Heard Islands have been recovered in New Zealand (Ingham 1959; Sibson 1969; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Patterson & Hunter 2000; NMNZ OR.18112).

Salomon & Voisin (2010) advocated treating M. giganteus as polytypic, with subspecies solanderi breeding in Argentina, Falkland Islands, and Gough Island. We follow Dickinson & Remsen (2013), Clements et al. (2019), and F. Gill et al. (2021) in treating M. giganteus as monotypic, pending further research.
*Also used for northern giant petrel M. halli.

➤ Macronectes halli Mathews
Northern Giant Petrel | Pāngurunguru*

Ossifraga gigantea; Hutton 1872, Ibis 2 (3rd series): 248. Not Procellaria gigantea Gmelin, 1789.

Macronectes giganteus halli Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 187 – Several localities, restricted to Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean (fide ICZN 1993, Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 50: 298).

Macronectes giganteus giganteus; Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 315. Not Procellaria gigantea Gmelin, 1789.

Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 18. In part.

Macronectes giganteus halli Mathews; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 20.

Macronectes halli Mathews; Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 7.

Breeds on South Georgia, Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Macquarie, Auckland / Maukahuka, Campbell / Motu Ihupuku, Antipodes Islands, and the Chatham Islands (Sisters, Motuhara / Forty Fours) (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Imber 1994). Formerly bred on Nelly Island (Port Pegasus, Stewart Island / Rakiura; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Ranges widely over Southern Hemisphere seas, mainly between 30°S and 64°S, with juveniles apparently undertaking circumpolar movements; banded birds from South Georgia, Crozet, and Kerguelen Islands have been recovered in New Zealand (Hunter 1984; Weimerskirch et al. 1985; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Petyt 1995; Patterson & Hunter 2000). Holocene remains and midden records from the North Island and Chatham Islands (Checklist Committee 1990; Millener 1991).

*Also used for southern giant petrel M. giganteus.

Genus Fulmarus Stephens

Fulmarus Stephens, 1826: in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 233 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria glacialis Linnaeus = Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus).

Halohippus Billberg, 1828: Synop. Faun. Scand. 1: 192 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria glacialis Linnaeus = Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus).

Rhantistes Kaup, 1829: Skizz. Entw.-Gesch. Eur. Thierw.: 105 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria glacialis Linnaeus = Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus).

Wagellus G.R. Gray, 1840: List Gen. Birds (1st edition): 78 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria glacialis Linnaeus = Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus).

Priocella Hombron & Jacquinot, 1844: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 18: 357 – Type species (by monotypy) Priocella garnotii Jacquinot & Pucheran = Fulmarus glacialoides (A. Smith).

➤ Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus)
Northern Fulmar

Procellaria glacialis Linnaeus, 1761: Fauna Svecica, 2nd edition: 51 – Spitsbergen, Arctic Circle.

Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus); Stephens 1826: in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 234, pl. 27.

Fulmaris glacialis; Johnston & Mitchell 2021, Diversity 13, 538: 13. Unjustified emendation.

Breeds on numerous islands and coastal cliffs at high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Three subspecies: F. g. glacialis nesting in High Arctic from north-east Canada east to Svalbard and Franz Josef Land; F. g. auduboni Bonaparte, 1857 nesting on shores of North Atlantic at lower latitudes from south-east Canada east to western and northern Europe; F. g. rodgersii nesting in North Pacific from eastern Siberia to south-east Alaska (Dickinson & Remsen 2013).

Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii Cassin
Pacific Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus Rodgersii Cassin, 1862: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 14: 326 – “South Indian Ocean” (error, North Pacific Ocean; fide Deignan 1961, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 221: 9).

Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii Cassin; Coues 1882: Checklist North American Birds: 125.

Fulmarus glacialis columba Anthony, 1895: Auk 12(2): 105 – off San Diego, California.

Fulmarus ródgersi [sic] Cassin; American Ornithologists Union 1910, Check-list North Amer. Birds (3rd edition): 51. Unjustified emendation.

Breeds on many islands and coastal cliffs around Bering Sea to southern Alaska, including Wrangel Island, Chukchi and Kamchatka Peninsulas, Kuril, Commander, Pribilof, St Lawrence, and Aleutian Islands, migrating south to seas off Japan and California and (exceptionally) Mexico (S. Howell 2012; Dickinson & Remsen 2013). A bird at sea east of the Snares Islands in Feb. 2014 was the first record from New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017).

➤ Fulmarus glacialoides (A. Smith)
Antarctic Fulmar

Fulmarus antarcticus Stephens, 1826: in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 236. Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria antarctica Gmelin, 1789.

Procellaria tenuirostris Audubon, 1839: Ornith. Biography 5: 333. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria tenuirostris Temminck, 1836.

Procellaria glacialoides A. Smith, 1840: Illust. Zool. South Africa, Aves 2: pl. 51 – seas off Cape of Good Hope.

Priocella garnotii Hombron & Jacquinot, 1844: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 18: 357. Nomen nudum (fide Hellmayr & Conover 1949, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History 13(1) no 2: 58).

Priocella garnotii Jacquinot & Pucheran, 1844: in Dumont d’Urville, Voyage Pôle Sud, Zoologie, Atlas 1: pl. 32, figs 43–56 – Cape seas.

Procellaria Garnotii (Hombron & Jacquinot) [sic]; G.R. Gray 1844, Gen. Birds 3: 648.

Thalassoica? tenuirostris (Audubon); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768. Not Procellaria tenuirostris Temminck, 1836.

Thalassoica polaris Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768. Nomen nudum.

Thalassoica glacialoides (A. Smith); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 191.

Thalassoica glacialoides polaris Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 192 – Louis Phillipe Land, Antarctica.

Thalassoica glacialoides tenuirostris (Audubon); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 192. Not Procellaria tenuirostris Temminck, 1836.

Procellaria smithi Schlegel, 1863: Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 22. Unnecessary nomen novum for Procellaria glacialoides A. Smith, 1840.

Procellaria Smithi Schlegel; Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 373.

Procellaria glacialoïdes A. Smith; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Fulmarus (Priocella) glacialoides (A. Smith); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 105.

Fulmarus tenuirostris; Coues 1872, Key North Amer. Birds: 328. Not Procellaria tenuirostris Temminck, 1836.

Thalassoica tenuirostris (Audubon); Sharpe 1879, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London 168: 123. Not Procellaria tenuirostris Temminck, 1836.

Priocella tenuirostris; Ridgway 1880, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 2: 209. Not Procellaria tenuirostris Temminck, 1836.

Thalassoeca glacialoides (A. Smith); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 228.

Thalassoeca tenuirostris; Oustalet 1891, Mission Scient. Cap Horn 6 Zoologie (B): 162.

Priocella glacialoides (A. Smith); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 393.

Thalassoica polaris Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 394 (ex Bonaparte, 1856).

Priocella antarctica (Stephens); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 230. Not Procellaria antarctica Gmelin, 1789.

Priocella antarctica addenda Mathews, 1915: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 125 – New Zealand seas.

Priocella antarctica glacialoides (A. Smith); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 314.

Priocella antarctica antarctica (Stephens); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 116.

Fulmarus glacialoides (A. Smith); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 18.

Breeds at many places on the coast of Antarctica and on adjacent islands, and on South Sandwich, South Orkney, South Shetland, Bouvetøya, Balleny, and Peter I Islands (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Circumpolar, moving northward in winter, normally ranging to about 40°S, but further north off the west coast of South America (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Regular straggler to New Zealand seas, mainly from May to Dec. (e.g. J. Jenkins 1981; Powlesland 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Miskelly 1990; Petyt 1995; Shirihai 2002; Miskelly et al. 2001a; Parrish 2001; J. Wood 2004). Small numbers beach-wrecked on mainland beaches most years but hundreds ashore in some years, e.g. 1975 (642), 1978 (471), and 1999 (424) (G. Taylor 2004). An exceptional sighting of 24 live birds off Kaikoura in Sep. 2005 (Allen 2005). Rarely at the Chatham Islands (only between Sep. and Jan.; Imber 1994; Miskelly et al. 2006). Recorded as Holocene remains on the Chatham Islands (Millener 1991).

Genus Thalassoica Reichenbach

Thalassoica Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: iv – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria antarctica Gmelin = Thalassoica antarctica (Gmelin).

Aeipetes Forbes, 1882: Rep. Scient. Results Challenger Exped. 4(11): 59 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria antarctica Gmelin = Thalassoica antarctica (Gmelin).

Thalassoeca Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 392. Unjustified emendation.

➤ Thalassoica antarctica (Gmelin)
Antarctic Petrel

Procellaria antarctica Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 565. Based on “Le Pétrel antarctique ou Damier brun” of Buffon 1783, Hist. Nat. 24, Oiseaux 9: 311, and on the “Antarctic peterel” of J. Cook 1777, Voyage South Pole 1: 252 – within the Antarctic Circle, 35°E to 45°E.

Daption antarcticum (Gmelin); Stephens 1826, in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 242.

Procellaria antarctica J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 60, 176 – within the Antarctic circle at 58°S. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria antarctica Gmelin, 1789.

Procellaria lugubris Von Tschudi, 1856: Journ. für Ornith. 4: 185 – between 36°S and 46°S.

Thalassoica antarctica (Gmelin); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 192.

Fulmarus (Priocella) antarcticus (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 105.

Priocella antarctica (Gmelin); Sharpe 1875, in Richardson & J.E. Gray (Eds), Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds 1: 37, pl. 33.

Aeipetes antarctica (Gmelin); Forbes 1882, Rep. Scient. Results Challenger Exped. 4(11): 59.

Thalassoeca antarctica (Gmelin); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 229.

Thalassoica antarctica (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 235.

Thalassoeca antarctica antarctica (Gmelin); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 314.

Breeds on Antarctic islands, coasts and nunataks in Dronning Maud, Enderby, MacRobertson, Princess Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Wilkes, King George V, King Edward VII, and Coats Lands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; van Franeker et al. 1999). Range circumpolar in the pack-ice and irregularly north of about 50°S (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). First recorded in Sep. 1973, one beach-wrecked near Dargaville (Crockett 1975b) (Checklist Committee 1980), then three beach-wrecked in 1975 and one in 1977 (Veitch 1980). In 1978, 77 beach-cast mainly in Sep. on Auckland west coast and numerous sightings in the Foveaux Strait and Stewart Island / Rakiura areas (Barlow 1979; Powlesland 1986; G. Taylor 2004). Since then, only occasionally recorded, with the highest numbers found beach-wrecked in 1987 (9), 1991 (19), 1992 (8), 1995 (8) and 1999 (10), mainly Aug. to Oct. (Powlesland 1986, 1989b; Powlesland & Powlesland 1993, 1994a; G. Taylor & Parrish 1994a; G. Taylor 1997, 2004). One live at Birdlings Flat, Canterbury, May 2021 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). Vagrants at Chatham, Snares / Tini Heke, and Macquarie Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Imber 1994; Miskelly et al. 2001a; Palliser 2005).

Genus Daption Stephens

Daption Stephens, 1826: in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 239 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria capensis Linnaeus = Daption capense (Linnaeus).

Calopetes Sundevall, 1873: Methodi Naturalis Avium Tentamen: 142. Unnecessary nomen novum for Daption Stephens, 1826.

Petrella Mathews, 1914: Auk 31: 91 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria capensis Linnaeus = Daption capense (Linnaeus).

➤ Daption capense (Linnaeus)
Cape Petrel | Karetai Hurukoko

Procellaria capensis Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 132. Based on the “The white and black Spotted Peteril” of Edwards 1747, Nat. Hist. Birds: 90, pl. 90, right fig. – Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

Procellaria (Daption) capensis Linnaeus; G.R. Gray 1859, Cat. Birds Tropical Is Pacific Ocean: 56.

Procellaria punctata Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7473 – coast of New Zealand.

Procellaria Capensis Gmelin [sic]; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Daption capense (Linnaeus); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 235.

Petrella capensis (Linnaeus); Mathews 1920, Austral Avian Rec. 4: 67.

Circumpolar; two subspecies: D. c. capense breeding from antarctic coasts north to subantarctic islands, and D. c. australe on southern islands in the New Zealand region. Recently reported breeding on Macquarie Island (Springer 2016). Debate about the gender of the genus and, therefore, the spelling of the species and subspecies names was reviewed by Watson (1974), Warham (1978), G. Johnstone (1978), and Olson (1988). Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden records (not subspecifically distinguished) from the North Island, Chatham Islands, and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Millener 1991; J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008; Tennyson 2020a).

A capital ‘C’ should be used for the common name Cape petrel regardless of editorial style, as it is named after the Cape of Good Hope (the type locality).

Daption capense australe Mathews
Snares Cape Petrel

Daption capense; Finsch 1888, Ibis 6 (5th ser.): 309. Not Procellaria capensis Linnaeus, 1758.

Daption capensis australis Mathews, 1913: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 187 – New Zealand.

Daption capense australe Mathews; Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 8.

Breeds on Snares Island / Tini Heke, Bounty, Antipodes, Auckland / Maukahuka (Beacon Rock), and Campbell / Motu Ihupuku Islands; in 1987 found breeding on Motuhara / The Forty Fours and probably on The Pyramid and The Sisters, Chatham Islands (Sagar et al. 1996; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Ranges in New Zealand seas (e.g. Bartle 1974; C. Robertson & Jenkins 1981; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Onley 1995a; Tennyson 1998a; J. Houston 2000, 2001; D. Thompson et al. 2000), off southern Australia and south to the Ross Sea (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Medway 1992) but not usually distinguished at sea from D. c. capense.

Daption capense capense (Linnaeus)
Antarctic Cape Petrel

Procellaria capensis Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 132. Based on the “The white and black Spotted Peteril” of Edwards 1747, Nat. Hist. Birds: 90, pl. 90, right fig. – Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

Procellaria naevia Brisson, 1760: Ornithologie 6: 146. Nomen nudum (fide ICZN 1963, Bull. Zool. Nom. 20: 343).

Procellaria pardela Oken, 1816: Lehrb. Naturgesch. 3: 533 – Cape seas.

Daption capenses [sic] (Linnaeus); Stephens, 1826: in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 241.

Daption Capensis (Stephens) [sic]; Gould 1844, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 366.

Daption capensis (Linnaeus); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 188.

Procellaria naevia Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 188 (ex Brisson) – no locality.

Fulmarus (Daption) capensis (Linnaeus); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 107.

Daption capensis capensis (Linnaeus); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 18.

Daption capense capense (Linnaeus); Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 8.

Breeds on the coasts and islands of Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula; on South Georgia, South Shetland, South Orkney, South Sandwich, Bouvetøya, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, Scott, and Balleny Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Moves northward in autumn; ranging throughout southern seas to the Tropic of Capricorn and further north off the west coasts of South America and Africa (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Regularly in New Zealand seas in winter and spring (e.g. J. Houston 1998, 2000, 2001); rare in summer and autumn (Bartle 1974; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Several birds banded in Cook Strait have been recovered at South Orkney breeding colonies, and others banded in the Weddell Sea and at Terre Adélie, Antarctica, have been caught at sea in New Zealand waters (Pinder 1966; Weimerskirch et al. 1985; Marchant & Higgins 1990).

Genus Lugensa Mathews

Lugensa Mathews, 1942: Emu 41: 305 – Type species (by original designation) Pterodroma lugens lugens Mathews, 1936 = Lugensa brevirostris (Lesson) (fide Mathews 1942, Emu 41: 305 and ICZN 1999, Code: 74, Article 70.3). As a subgenus of Pterodroma.

Aphrodroma Olson, 2000: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 120: 60 – Type species (by original designation) Oestrelata kidderi Coues, 1875 = Lugensa brevirostris (Lesson).

Lugensa is used following the recommendations of Imber (1985d) and Bourne (2001).

➤ Lugensa brevirostris (Lesson)
Kerguelen Petrel

Procellaria brevirostris Lesson, 1833: Traité d’Ornith. 8: 611 – no locality = Cape of Good Hope, South Africa (fide R. Murphy & Pennoyer 1952, American Mus. Novit. 1580: 22).

Rhantistes unicolor Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768 (ex Gould) – no locality = Christmas Harbour, Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean (fide Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 410).

Aestrelata grisea; Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 148. Not Procellaria grisea Kuhl, 1820.

Fulmarus (Cookilaria) ? griseus (Kuhl); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 107.

Fulmarus (Cookilaria) unicolor G.R. Gray, 1871: Hand-list Birds 3: 107 (ex Gould) – no locality = Christmas Harbour, Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean (fide Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 410). Junior secondary homonym and junior synonym of Rhantistes unicolor Bonaparte, 1856.

Oestrelata kidderi Coues, 1875: Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 2: 28 – Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean.

Procellaria unicolor (G.R. Gray); Coues 1875, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 2: 28.

Oestrelata brevirostris (Lesson); Salvin 1876, in Rowley’s Ornith. Miscellany 1: 235.

Pterodroma kidderi okahia [sic] Mathews, 1935: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 56: 37 – Ohakea, Manawatu.

Pterodroma kidderi kidderi; Mathews 1935, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 56: 38.

Pterodroma lugens lugens Mathews, 1936: Emu 36: 96 – Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean. Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria lugens Kuhl, 1820.

Pterodroma lugens okahia Mathews; Mathews 1936, Emu 36: 97.

Pterodroma (Lugensa) lugens; Mathews 1942, Emu 41: 305. Not Procellaria lugens Kuhl, 1820.

Lugensa lugens; Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 9. Not Procellaria lugens Kuhl, 1820.

Lugensa lugens okahia (Mathews); Mathews 1944, Emu 43: 243.

Pterodrome [sic] whitlocki Mathews, 1946: Working List Aust. Birds: 8 – Cottesloe, Western Australia.

Bulweria brevirostris (Lesson); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Bulweria lugens; Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156. Not Procellaria lugens Kuhl, 1820.

Pterodroma brevirostris (Lesson); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 24.

Lugensa brevirostris (Lesson); Imber 1985, Ibis 127: 215.

Aphrodroma brevirostris (Lesson); Olson 2000, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 120: 61.

Breeds on Inaccessible, Gough, South Georgia, Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet (Possession, East, Penguin, Apostles), and Kerguelen Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Ryan 2007; Black et al. 2012). Circumpolar, ranging between about 33°S and 67°S, to about the edge of the pack-ice, but less common in the Pacific Ocean (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Irregular winter/spring visitor to New Zealand, mainly when immature (Imber 1984a; Marchant & Higgins 1990); highest numbers dead on beaches: 1981 (284), 1984 (600), 1994 (262), and 1999 (331) (G. Taylor 1996, 2004). More than 100 live birds seen off the South Island West Coast in Aug. 1985 (Miskelly 1990). One beach-washed on Chatham Island in 1981 (Imber 1994). Holocene bones known from the Chatham Islands and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008; Tennyson 2020a).

Genus Pterodroma Bonaparte

Rhantistes Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: iv – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria cookii G.R. Gray = Pterodroma cookii (G.R. Gray). Junior homonym of Rhantistes Kaup, 1829.

Pterodroma Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria macroptera A. Smith = Pterodroma macroptera (A. Smith).

Aestrelata Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Fulmarus meridionalis Lawrence = Pterodroma hasitata (Kuhl).

Cookilaria Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 43: 994 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria cookii G.R. Gray = Pterodroma cookii (G.R. Gray). Unnecessary nomen novum for Rhantistes Reichenbach, 1853.

Oestrelata Newton, 1870: Ibis 6 (new series): 277. Unjustified emendation.

Oestrelatella Bianchi, 1913: Faune Russie, Oiseaux 1(2): 521, 719 – Type species (by original designation) Oestrelata hypoleuca Salvin = Pterodroma hypoleuca (Salvin).

Hallstroma Mathews, 1943: in Mathews & Hallstrom, Notes Procellariiformes: 35, 37 (key) – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria neglecta Schlegel = Pterodroma neglecta (Schlegel).

Proaestrelata Imber, 1985: Ibis 127: 219 – Type species (by original designation) Oestrelata axillaris Salvin = Pterodroma axillaris (Salvin). As a subgenus of Pterodroma.

Subgenera within Pterodroma (as used by Checklist Committee 1990) are not accepted here, given the debate about their usage (e.g. Bourne 1987; Christidis & Boles 1994) and the paraphyletic relationships identified within some of these groups (e.g. Nunn & Stanley 1998; Palma & Pilgrim 2002).

➤ Pterodroma gouldi (Hutton)
Grey-faced Petrel | Ōi

Pterodroma macroptera; Gould 1865, Handb. Birds Australia 2: 449. Not Procellaria macroptera A. Smith, 1840.

Aestrelata gouldi Hutton, 1869: Ibis 5 (new series): 351 – New Zealand seas.

Aestrelata gouldii Hutton; Hutton 1870, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 2: 79. Unjustified emendation.

Aestrelata Gouldii Hutton; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76. Unjustified emendation.

Procellaria Gouldii (Hutton); Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 372. Unjustified emendation.

Procellaria gouldi (Hutton); Hutton 1871, Cat. Birds N.Z.: 47.

Procellaria fuliginosa Kuhl; Buller 1873 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 5): 304 & pl. opposite. Not Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Oestrelata fuliginosa (Kuhl); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 221. Not Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Majaqueus gouldi (Hutton); Buller 1888 (May), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 7): 245.

Oestrelata macroptera; Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 399. Not Procellaria macroptera A. Smith, 1840.

Oestrelata gouldi (Hutton); A. Hamilton 1909, Hand-list birds New Zealand: 6.

Pterodroma macroptera gouldi (Hutton); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 230.

Pterodroma macroptera gouldii; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 134. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma (Pterodroma) macroptera gouldi (Hutton); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 54.

Pterodroma gouldi (Hutton); Onley & Scofield 2007, Albatrosses, Petrels & Shearwaters World: 183.

Treated by Checklist Committee (2010) as a subspecies of great-winged petrel Pterodroma macroptera (A. Smith, 1840); these taxa are now recognised as separate species based on the review by J. Wood, Lawrence et al. (2017). Breeds on many islands, islets, headlands and cliff-tops from Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands south to near New Plymouth on the west coast and Portland Island (off Mahia) on the east coast (Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019). Relatively sedentary, ranging throughout the Tasman Sea and in the South Pacific to about 130°W, usually between 30°S and 50°S (Watson et al. 1971; Lovegrove 1978; J. Jenkins 1981; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Farrell 2006). Probable vagrant to Californian waters (R.C. Banks et al. 2004) and Chilean waters (G. Clark et al. 1992). Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden records from the North Island, and possible bones from Chatham Island dunes (Millener 1991; J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008).

➤ Pterodroma lessonii (Garnot)
White-headed Petrel

Procellaria Lessonii Garnot, 1826: Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. Paris 7: 54, pl. 4 – seas near Cape Horn and in the South Pacific Ocean at 52°S, 85°W.

Puffinus sericeus Lesson, 1828: Manuel d’Ornith. 2: 402 – South Pacific Ocean, 52°S, 85°W.

Procellaria leucocephala J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 206 – South Pacific Ocean, near Australia.

Procellaria vagabunda G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 648 (ex Solander MS) – no locality = Southern Ocean (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 155).

Rhantistes lessoni (Garnot); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768. Unjustified emendation.

Adamastor sericeus (Lesson); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 188.

Aestrelata leucocephala (J.R. Forster); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 189.

Aestrelata Lessoni (Garnot); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 142. Unjustified emendation.

Procellaria Lessoni Garnot; Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 373. Unjustified emendation.

Fulmarus (Astrelata) Lessoni (Garnot); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 106. Unjustified emendation.

Oestrelata lessoni (Garnot); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 219. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma lessonii leucocephala (J.R. Forster); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 231.

Aestrelata lessonii lessonii (Garnot); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 37.

Aestrelata lessonii leucocephala (J.R. Forster); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 37.

Aestrelata lessonii australis Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 54 – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Aestrelata lessonii (Garnot); Mathews 1920, Austral Avian Rec. 4: 67.

Pterodroma lessoni; Falla 1922, Emu 21: 207. Unjustified emendation.

Oestrelata lessonii (Garnot); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 315.

Aestrelata lessoni lessoni (Garnot); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 121. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma lessoni [sic] lessonii (Garnot); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 163.

Pterodroma lessonii australis (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 164.

Bulweria lessoni (Garnot); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156. In part. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma lessonii lessonii (Garnot); Hellmayr & Conover 1949, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History13(1) no 2: 75.

Pterodroma lessoni (Garnot); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 23. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma lessonii (Garnot); Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 9.

Pterodroma (Pterodroma) lessonii (Garnot); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 55.

Breeds on Crozet, Kerguelen, Macquarie, Auckland / Maukahuka, and Antipodes Islands, and possibly on Marion, Prince Edward, and Campbell / Motu Ihupuku Islands (P. Harrison 1983). Within New Zealand, breeds on 16 islands in the Auckland Islands and at least five islands in the Antipodes Islands (Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). At sea circumpolar, ranging between 30°S and the pack-ice (Watson et al. 1971; Nakamura 1982; Marchant & Higgins 1990). In winter to spring, regularly occurs in northern New Zealand waters (e.g. J. Jenkins 1982b), including frequent beach-wrecks on North Island west coast beaches (e.g. G. Taylor 1997). Vagrant to the Chatham Islands (Miskelly et al. 2006). There are Holocene records from the North and South Islands, midden records from the South and Auckland Islands, and possible bones from Chatham Island dunes (Millener 1991; Anderson 2005; J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008; Tennyson 2020a).

➤ Pterodroma solandri (Gould)
Providence Petrel

Procellaria Solandri Gould, 1844: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 363 – Bass Strait, Australia.

Cookilaria melanopus Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 43: 995 (ex Solander MS) – no locality. Not Procellaria melanopus Gmelin, 1789.

Cookilaria solandri (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 190.

Procellaria atlantica; G.R. Gray 1862, Ibis 4: 246. Not Procellaria atlantica Gould, 1844.

Procellaria phillipii G.R. Gray, 1862: Ibis 4: 246 – Norfolk Island.

Aestrelata Solandri (Gould); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 148.

Fulmarus Solandri (Gould); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 107.

Fulmarus atlanticus; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 107. Not Procellaria atlantica Gould, 1844.

Oestrelata solandri (Gould); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 410.

Oestrelata phillipi (G.R. Gray); Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 119. Unjustified emendation.

Oestrelata montana Hull, 1911: Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 35: 785 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Pterodroma melanopus; Falla 1933, Rec. Auck. Inst. Museum 1: 175. Not Procellaria melanopus Gmelin, 1789.

Pterodroma solandri (Gould); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 23.

Pterodroma (Pterodroma) solandri (Gould); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 54.

Breeds on Lord Howe Island and Philip Island, and was formerly in large numbers on Norfolk Island itself (Hindwood 1940; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Medway 2002c,d; Bester 2007). Ranges mainly in the north Tasman Sea to seas off Tasmania. Most migrate to the North Pacific Ocean (Japan to North America) but far more abundant in the west (Nakamura & Tanaka 1977; Tanaka 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Bartle et al. 1993). Straggler to the northern North Island: Muriwai Beach, Jan. 1921 (Falla 1933); Dargaville coast, Sep. 1984; five south of Macauley Island, Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua, Jul. 2002; east of Whangaroa Harbour, May 2004; east of North Cape, May 2005 (P. Miller 1986; Rare Birds Committee 2005; Miskelly et al. 2011, 2015); east of the Poor Knights Islands, Jul. 2022 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). The record of three birds off Northland in May 2005 (Davies 2005c) was not accepted by the OSNZ Rare Birds Committee (Scofield 2006). McAllan (2004) clarified collection details of the holotype and where Gould’s 1844 description was first published.

➤ Pterodroma magentae (Giglioli & Salvadori)
Chatham Island Taiko | Tāiko*

Aestrelata Magentae Giglioli & Salvadori, 1869: Ibis 5 (new series): 61 – South Pacific Ocean, at 39°38’S, 125°58’W.

Fulmarus (Astrelata) Magentae (Giglioli & Salvadori); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 106.

Oestrelata magentae (Giglioli & Salvadori); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 407.

Pterodroma cookii axillaris; Archey & Lindsay 1924, Rec. Cant. Museum 2(4): 189. Not Oestrelata axillaris Salvin, 1893.

Pterodroma inexpectata; C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 405. Not Procellaria inexpectata J.R. Forster, 1844.

Bulweria alba (Gmelin); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156. In part.

Pterodroma magentae (Giglioli & Salvadori); Bourne 1964, Notornis 11: 139.

Pterodroma macroptera; Dawson in Bourne 1964, Notornis 11: 141. Not Procellaria macroptera A. Smith, 1840.

Pterodroma (Pterodroma) magentae (Giglioli & Salvadori); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 54.

Chatham Islands; a few breed in scattered burrows in bush in the south-west of Chatham Island (Crockett 1994; Imber et al. 1994). Breeding birds feed south and east of the Chatham Islands and non-breeders range to the central and eastern subtropical South Pacific (Crockett 1994; S. Howell, Ainley et al. 1996; Imber et al. 2005). Holocene remains are abundant on Chatham Island and rare on Pitt Island (Bourne 1964; Crockett 1994; J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008). Remains considered to be from human middens are abundant on Chatham Island (e.g. Sutton & Marshall 1977) but many of these may be pre-human Holocene deposits (Millener 1999). Probable remains found in a Holocene dune deposit at the Auckland / Maukahuka Islands (Tennyson 2020a).

A capital ‘M’ should be used for the alternative common name Magenta petrel regardless of editorial style, as the species is named after the Italian Navy corvette Magenta.
*Also used for Westland petrel Procellaria westlandica and black petrel P. parkinsoni.

➤ Pterodroma neglecta (Schlegel)
Kermadec Petrel | Pia Koia

Breeds on islands across the subtropical South Pacific and migrates into the North Pacific Ocean. Two subspecies: Pt. n. neglecta breeding in the central and western Pacific, and Pt. n. juana Mathews, 1935, breeding in the eastern Pacific on the Juan Fernández and San Ambrosio Islands (R. Murphy & Pennoyer 1952). The species has recently been found breeding at Round Island, Indian Ocean, and possibly on Ilha da Trindade, Atlantic Ocean (Imber 2004, 2005; Tove 2005).

Pterodroma neglecta neglecta (Schlegel)
Kermadec Petrel | Pia Koia

Rhantistes raolensis [sic] Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768 (ex Gould). Nomen nudum.

Procellaria neglecta Schlegel, 1863: Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 10 – Sunday [= Raoul] Island, Kermadec Islands.

Aestrelata neglecta (Schlegel); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 147.

Procellaria incerta; Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 372. Not Procellaria incerta Schlegel, 1863.

Fulmarus (Astrelata) neglectus (Schlegel); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 106.

Oestrelata incerta; Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 220. Not Procellaria incerta Schlegel, 1863.

Oestrelata neglecta (Schlegel); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 224.

Oestrelata mollis; Cheeseman 1891, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23: 225. Not Procellaria mollis Gould, 1844.

Oestrelata leucophrys Hutton, 1893: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1893 (50): 752, pl. 63 – Sunday [= Raoul] Island, Kermadec Islands.

Rhantistes raoulensis Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 412 (ex Bonaparte, 1856) – no locality.

Procellaria raoulensis Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 412 (ex Gould) – Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands. Junior secondary homonym and junior synonym of Rhantistes raoulensis Salvin, 1896.

Pterodroma neglecta neglecta (Schlegel); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 232.

Pterodroma neglecta quintali Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 68 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Bulweria neglecta (Schlegel); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Pterodroma neglecta (Schlegel); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 23.

Pterodroma (Hallstroma) neglecta neglecta (Schlegel); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 53.

Breeds on Lord Howe Island (Balls Pyramid and formerly the main island; McAllan et al. 2004), Norfolk Island group (Philip Island), Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua (Nugent, Napier, Meyer, Dayrell, Chanter, Raoul, Macauley, Haszard, Cheeseman, and formerly on Curtis; Merton 1970; Tennyson, Scofield et al. 2003; Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019), Austral Islands (Rapa and Raivavae), Tuamotu Islands, Pitcairn Islands (Oeno, Henderson, and Ducie), and Easter Island (Rapa Nui) (Marchant & Higgins 1990; NMNZ OR.025379). Ranges mainly in the subtropical South Pacific between 20°S and 35°S (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Some non-breeders migrate to the tropical and temperate North Pacific (up to 42°N) but migration patterns are poorly understood (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Spear et al. 1992; Bartle et al. 1993). Live birds rarely sighted off mainland New Zealand: one prospected at Cuvier Island / Repanga during 1973–81 (Reed 1976a; Marchant & Higgins 1990), one seen off the Chatham Islands, Mar. 1975 (P. Roberts 1977), one off Kaikoura, Jan. 1999 (Medway 2001a), one off Piercy Rock, Bay of Islands, Dec. 2000 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2019), one off Mokohinau Islands, Jan. 2014 (Miskelly et al. 2015); and one east of the Poor Knights Islands, Jan. 2022 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). Records off Northland in Mar. and May 2005 (Davies 2005b,c) are unverified or were not accepted by the OSNZ Rare Birds Committee (Scofield 2006). Seven beach-wrecked mainland specimens: four from Muriwai Beach (Nov. 1932, another before 1955, singles Apr. 1981 and Jul. 1995); also singles at Maunganui Bluff, Mar. 1986; Anawhata Beach, Sep. 1987; and East Clive Beach, May 1995 (Oliver 1955; Powlesland 1989b; G. Taylor 1997; NMNZ S.000538). Bones possibly of this species have been found in Chatham Island dune deposits (J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008).

➤ Pterodroma heraldica (Salvin)
Herald Petrel

Procellaria leucoptera Schlegel, 1863: Rev. Méth. Critique. Mus. d’Hist. Nat. PaysBas 6(22): 12. Not Procellaria leucoptera Gould, 1844.

Fulmarus (Astrelata) Philippii G.R. Gray, 1871: Hand-list Birds 3: 106 – Chesterfield Group. Not Procellaria phillipii G.R. Gray, 1862.

Oestrelata heraldica Salvin, 1888: Ibis 6 (5th series): 357 – Chesterfield Islands, north-west of New Caledonia.

Pterodroma (Aestrelata) heraldica paschae Lonnberg, 1921: in Skottsberg, Nat. Hist. Juan Fernandez Easter Islands 3: 23 – Easter Island.

Pterodroma heraldica (Salvin); Peters 1931, Checklist Birds World 1: 63.

Aestrelata heraldica (Salvin); R. Murphy & Pennoyer 1952, American Mus. Novit. 1580: 38.

Pterodroma arminjoniana heraldica (Salvin); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 71.

Pterodroma (Hallstroma) heraldica (Salvin); Imber 1985: Ibis 127: 224.

Pterodroma (arminjoniana) heraldica Salvin; Imber 2004: Notornis 51: 33.

Pterodroma neglecta heraldica (Salvin); Plaza et al. 2023, Frontiers Ecol. Evol. 11: 13.

We follow M. Brooke (2004) and Onley & Scofield (2007) in recognising the Herald petrel as a full species, which breeds on several Pacific island groups between 9° and 27°S. A bird photographed near the Meyer Islets, Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua in Mar. 2016 was the first record from New Zealand (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017).

A capital ‘H’ should be used for the common name Herald petrel regardless of editorial style, as it is named after the British survey vessel HMS Herald. Plaza et al. (2023) regarded Pt. heraldica as a subspecies of Pterodroma neglecta and, on the same page, as a full species in the invalid combination “Pterodroma heraldica alba”. Hence, we do not agree with their taxonomic treatment of Pt. heraldica.

➤ Pterodroma alba (Gmelin)
Phoenix Petrel

Procellaria alba Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 565. Based on the “White-breasted Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 400 – Turtle Islands and Christmas Islands, restricted to Christmas Island (fide R. Murphy & Pennoyer 1952, American Mus. Novit. 1580: 32).

Daptium album (Gmelin); Stephens 1826, in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 246.

Procellaria parvirostris Peale, 1848: U.S. Expl. Exped. 8: 298 – near Honden [= Pukapuka Island], Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia.

Rhantistes parvirostris (Peale); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768.

Procellaria (Aestrelata) alba Gmelin; G.R. Gray 1859, Cat. Birds Tropical Is Pacific Ocean: 56.

Procellaria (–––?) parvirostris Peale; G.R. Gray 1859, Cat. Birds Tropical Is Pacific Ocean: 56.

Aestrelata parvirostris (Peale); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 146.

Fulmarus albus (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 106.

Oestrelata parvirostris (Peale); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 405.

Oestrelata wortheni Rothschild, 1902: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 12: 62 – Pacific Ocean, 3°S, 118°45’W.

Aestrelata oliveri Mathews & Iredale, 1914: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 113 – Sunday [= Raoul] Island, Kermadec Islands.

Pterodroma parvirostris (Peale); Oliver 1923, Name-list NZ birds: 426.

Pterodroma oliveri (Mathews & Iredale); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 119.

Pterodroma rostrata parvirostris (Peale); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 119.

Pterodroma alba cantonia Mathews, 1942: Emu 42: 123 – Canton Island, Phoenix Islands.

Bulweria alba (Gmelin); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156. In part.

Pterodroma alba (Gmelin); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 71.

Pterodroma (Hallstroma) alba (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 53.

Pterodroma heraldica alba (Gmelin); Plaza et al. 2023, Frontiers Ecol. Evol. 11: 13. Invalid combination.

Pterodroma neglecta alba (Gmelin); Plaza et al. 2023, Frontiers Ecol. Evol. 11: 13. Invalid combination.

Breeds on Pacific Ocean islands: Phoenix, Line, Marquesas, Pitcairn (Oeno, Henderson, Ducie), and Tuamotu Islands (W. King 1967; Watling 2001); possibly formerly bred on Raoul Island (Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua), where four ashore in 1913 (Veitch et al. 2004). At sea ranges in the central Pacific Ocean but pelagic distribution poorly known (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Spear et al. 1992). One over Curtis Island (Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua) in May 1982 (Veitch et al. 2004).

Plaza et al. (2023) regarded Pt. alba as a subspecies of two species: Pterodroma heraldica and Pterodroma neglecta. Combining the same taxon with two different species in the same page of a publication is contradictory. Also, Plaza et al. (2023) contradicted the Law of Priority by placing Pt. alba, the oldest described taxon, as a subspecies of two younger species. Hence, we do not agree with these subspecific combinations, and regard them as invalid.

➤ Pterodroma mollis (Gould)
Soft-plumaged Petrel

Procellaria mollis Gould, 1844: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 363 – South Atlantic Ocean, 20°S to 40°S, restricted to 29°45’S, 15°03’W (fide Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 406).

Rhantistes mollis (Gould); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768.

Cookilaria mollis (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 190.

Aestrelata mollis (Gould); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 150.

Oestrelata mollis (Gould); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 222.

Pterodroma dubius Mathews, 1924: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 44: 70. Unnecessary nomen novum for bird described in Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 158, pl. 86 – north Australia (fide LeCroy 2017, Suppl. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 150: 38).

Pterodroma deceptornis Mathews, 1932: Novit. Zool. 38(1): 34 – at sea, 36°08’S, 88°55’E.

Bulweria mollis (Gould); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Pterodroma mollis (Gould); Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 22.

Pterodroma mollis mollis (Gould); Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 9.

Pterodroma mollis dubia Mathews; Clancey et al. 1981, Durban Museum Novit. 12: 211.

Pterodroma mollis fusca Imber, 1985: Ibis 127: 224 – Marion, Prince Edward, and Crozet (East) Islands, south Indian Ocean.

Pterodroma (Pterodroma) mollis (Gould); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 56.

Breeds on Tristan da Cunha, Inaccessible, Nightingale, Gough, Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet (Possession, East, Penguin, Apostles), and Kerguelen Islands (Clancey et al. 1981; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Recently found breeding on Amsterdam Island (Indian Ocean), Maatsuyker Island off Tasmania, and Macquarie Island (Roux & Martinez 1987; Bretagnolle 1995; Garnett & Crowley 2002; Wiltshire et al. 2004; Springer 2016). Ranges mainly between about 30°S and 60°S in the South Atlantic and south Indian Oceans (Watson et al. 1971; P. Harper 1973; Marchant & Higgins 1990). First recorded ashore in the New Zealand region on Antipodes Island in Feb. 1969, but may have already been present in the 1920s; now increasing (Imber 1983; Imber et al. 1998, 2005; Tennyson, Lawrence et al. 2013). Since 1971, an increasing number of records of birds at sea or beach-cast around mainland New Zealand, as far north as Northland and in most months (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Guest 1991; Petyt 1995; G. Taylor 1997; Medway 2000a, 2001a, 2004b; A. Rowe & Rowe 2001; Imber et al. 2005; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017, 2019, 2023). Also seen at the Snares Islands / Tini Heke and Chatham Islands (Miskelly et al. 2001a, 2006). No subspecies recognised here; related forms in the North Atlantic are considered to be allopatric species (Bourne 1983; Sangster et al. 1999; Zino et al. 2008).

➤ †Pterodroma imberi Tennyson, Cooper & Shepherd
Imber’s Petrel

Pterodroma inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Bourne 1967, Ibis 109: 57. In part.

Pterodroma inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 51. In part.

Pterodroma sp. 1 Tennyson & Millener, 1994: Notornis 41 (supp.): 168.

Pterodroma imberi Tennyson, Cooper & Shepherd, 2015: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 135: 273 – Pitt Island, Chatham Islands.

This extinct species is known only from Holocene remains (natural and archaeological) on the Chatham Islands (J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008; Tennyson et al. 2015).

➤ Pterodroma inexpectata (J.R. Forster)
Mottled Petrel | Kōrure

Procellaria inexpectata J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 204 – Antarctic Ocean.

Procellaria lugens G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 648 (ex Solander MS) – no locality = Southern Ocean (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 159). Junior primary homonym of Procellaria lugens Kuhl, 1820.

Procellaria gularis Peale, 1848: U.S. Expl. Exped. 8: 299 – Pacific Ocean, 68°S, 95°W.

Aestrelata gularis (Peale); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768.

Aestrelata inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 189.

Procellaria affinis Buller, 1875: Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 7: 216 – Potts River, Canterbury.

Aestrelata fisheri Ridgway, 1883: Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 5: 656 – Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA.

Aestrelata scalaris Brewster, 1886: Auk 3: 390 – Mount Morris, New York State, USA.

Oestrelata affinis (Buller); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 223, pl. 41, upper fig.

Oestrelata gularis (Peale); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 414.

Oestrelata fisheri (Ridgway); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 415.

Oestrelata scalaris (Brewster); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 416.

Procellaria lugens Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 159 (ex Solander MS) – Southern Ocean. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria lugens Kuhl, 1820.

Pterodroma inexpectata inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 233.

Pterodroma inexpectata thompsoni Mathews, 1915: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 125 – Tasmania, Australia.

Pterodroma gularis (Peale); Bent 1918, Auk 35: 221.

Pterodroma neglus Mathews, 1928: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 49: 51. Unnecessary nomen novum for Procellaria lugens Mathews, 1912.

Bulweria inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Pterodroma inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 24.

Pterodroma (Proaestrelata) inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Imber 1985, Ibis 127: 219.

Pterodroma (Oestrelatella) inexpectata (J.R. Forster); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 51.

Breeds only in southern New Zealand: Fiordland (Seymour and Shelter Islands in Doubtful Sound, Inner Gilbert 5 and John islets in Breaksea Sound, Shag and Front Islands and six other islands in Dusky Sound, Chalky Island and two other islands in Chalky Inlet, four islands in Preservation Inlet, Lake Hauroko islet), Solander Islands, numerous islands around Stewart Island / Rakiura (notably Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island, Kundy, Putauhinu, and Rerewhakaupoko Islands, islets in Port Pegasus), and Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Warham et al. 1977; W. Cooper et al. 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Miskelly, Tennyson, Stahl et al. 2017; Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019; Miskelly, Bishop et al. 2019, 2020, 2021). Formerly bred on inland ranges of the North and South Islands (Stead 1932; Falla 1934; Oliver 1955; Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019). Mainly ranges in subantarctic seas and south to the pack-ice between 95°E and 140°W (Watson et al. 1971; P. Harper 1973; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Migrates to the North Pacific, mainly to the subarctic convergence zone and into the Bering Sea; vagrant to the east tropical Pacific, Chile, and New York (Nakamura & Tanaka 1977; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Bartle et al. 1993). Common in Late Pleistocene–Holocene deposits, and midden deposits in the North and South Islands (Millener 1991; Worthy, Holdaway et al. 2002); possible Holocene records from the Chatham Islands (J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008).

➤ Pterodroma externa (Salvin)
Juan Fernandez Petrel

Oestrelata externa Salvin, 1875: Ibis 5 (3rd series): 373 – Masafuera Island, Juan Fernández Islands, Chile.

Pterodroma externa tristani Mathews, 1931: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 63 – Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic Ocean.

Bulweria externa (Salvin); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156. In part.

Pterodroma externa externa (Salvin); Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 9.

Pterodroma (Hallstroma) externa (Salvin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 52.

Breeds on Isla Alejandro Selkirk (i.e. Masafuera Island), Juan Fernández Islands (R. Murphy 1936; M. Brooke 1987). During breeding, occurs in the subtropical and tropical south-east Pacific Ocean; migrates to the North Pacific Ocean north to about 20°N (R. Murphy 1936; Pitman 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Spear et al. 1992). Rare vagrant to the Indian Ocean (Veit et al. 2007) and south-west Pacific Ocean: one blown inland, Ngahinapouri, Waikato, Oct. 1971 (Reed 1972, 1976b); a possible sighting north of New Zealand, May 1977 (Lovegrove 1978); one beach-wrecked in North Canterbury, Jun. 2005 (L. Howell & Esler 2007); one off Oamaru, Mar. 2012 (Miskelly et al. 2013); one off East Cape, Feb. 2013 (Miskelly et al. 2015); one west of Mana Island, Mar. 2019 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2021). The species has prospected at the Chatham Islands, with several records between 1984 and 2021 (Imber et al. 1991; Miskelly et al. 2006); Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023).

➤ Pterodroma cervicalis (Salvin)
White-naped Petrel

Oestrelata cervicalis Salvin, 1891: Ibis 3 (6th series): 192 – Kermadec Islands.

Pterodroma externa cervicalis (Salvin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 232.

Pterodroma cervicalis; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 137.

Bulweria externa (Salvin); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156. In part.

Pterodroma (Proaestrelata) cervicalis (Salvin); Imber 1985, Ibis 127: 219.

Pterodroma (Oestrelatella) cervicalis cervicalis (Salvin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 52.

Pterodroma cervicalis (Salvin); Imber & Tennyson 2001, Emu 101: 127.

Breeds on the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua (Macauley and formerly on Raoul; Veitch et al. 2004). Recently colonised Philip Island, Norfolk Island group (J. Moore 1999). During the breeding season, ranges in adjacent seas. Migrates to the North Pacific Ocean, mainly to south-east of Japan; rarer in the eastern tropical Pacific (Lovegrove 1978; Tanaka & Inaba 1981; Pitman 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Spear et al. 1992). Straggles to the east coast of Australia and to northern New Zealand: Mamaku Plateau, Apr. 1968, Gisborne, 1977 (Dowding 1987); Hokianga Harbour, Jun. 1982 (Brash 1982); Karikari Peninsula, Jan. 1986 (Dowding 1987); Bay of Plenty, Feb. 1991 (Miskelly et al. 2013); at least two off East Cape, Jan.–Mar. 1997 (Foreman 1998); outer Hauraki Gulf, Mar. 2007 and Feb. 2014 (Miskelly et al. 2013, 2015); off Whangaroa Harbour, Northland, Jan. 2010 and Jan. 2011, east of Stewart Island / Rakiura, Feb. 2011, north of Mokohinau Islands, Feb. 2012 (Miskelly et al. 2013); west of Coromandel, Mar. 2015 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017); off Kaikoura, Jan. 2018 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2019); and east of the Poor Knights Islands, Feb. 2020, with two there in Feb 2021 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). Rare vagrant to the southern Indian Ocean (Stahl et al. 1984; Veit et al. 2007).

Treated here as monotypic following Imber & Tennyson (2001); however, the Vanuatu petrel (Pt. occulta Imber & Tennyson, 2001) is often treated as a subspecies of Pt. cervicalis (see Shirihai & Bretagnolle 2010; Dickinson & Remsen 2013; S. Howell & Zufelt 2019; Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International 2020).

➤ Pterodroma nigripennis (Rothschild)
Black-winged Petrel | Karetai Kapa Mangu

Oestrelata cookii; Cheesman, 1891: Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23: 224. Not Procellaria cookii G.R. Gray, 1843.

Oestrelata nigripennis Rothschild, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1: 57 – Kermadec Islands.

Pterodroma cookii nigripennis (Rothschild); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 168.

Oestrelatella nigricollis Bianchi, 1913: Faune Russie, Oiseaux 1(2): 727. Error for Oestrelata nigripennis Rothschild (fide Bianchi 1913, Faune Russie, Oiseaux 1(2): 947).

Cookilaria cookii nigripennis (Rothschild); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 233.

Cookilaria (cookii) nigripennis (Rothschild); Mathews 1936, Suppl. Birds Norfolk & Lord Howe Islands: 83, pl. opposite.

Cookilaria hindwoodi Whitley, 1938: Austral. Mus. Mag. 6: 297 – Norfolk Island.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) axillaris nigripennis (Rothschild); C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 75.

Pterodroma hypoleuca nigripennis (Rothschild); Falla 1942, Emu 42: 117.

Pterodroma nigripennis (Rothschild); Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 148.

Pterodroma (Proaestrelata) nigripennis (Rothschild); Imber 1985, Ibis 127: 219.

Pterodroma (Oestrelatella) nigripennis (Rothschild); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 50.

In the New Zealand region breeds at Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua (most islands), Manawatāwhi / Three Kings (Great King, South West, North East), Motuopao, Matapia, Simmonds, Motukokako (Piercy), Burgess (Pokohinu), East (Whangaokeno), Portland, and Chatham Islands (Rangatira, Mangere, probably Star Keys), and on an islet off Cape Brett (Eagle 1980; Moors 1980; J. Jenkins & Cheshire 1982; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Foreman 1991; Tennyson 1991a; Parrish & Anderson 1998; Veitch et al. 2004; Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019). Elsewhere, breeds at Norfolk (Philip Island), Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid (I. Hutton & Priddel 2002), islets off New Caledonia (Pandolfi Benoit & Bretagnolle 2002), Tonga, Rarotonga, islets off Rapa Island, and possibly at Marotiri (Bass Rocks) in the Austral Islands (Rinke et al. 1992). This species has recently expanded its breeding range (J. Jenkins & Cheshire 1982; Tennyson 1991a). Reported to have formerly nested at Fiji, the Cook Islands, Tubuai, the Marquesas, and Henderson Island (Medway 2001b; Steadman 2006) but some of these occurrences have been questioned by Worthy (2007). During the breeding season, ranges throughout the north Tasman Sea and subtropical south-west and central Pacific Ocean, rarely reaching the South Island; migrates mainly to the tropical North Pacific Ocean, occasionally as far west as Japan (Tanaka et al. 1985; Pitman 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Roberson & Bailey 1991; Spear et al. 1992). Holocene bones in Chatham Island dunes (J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008).

➤ Pterodroma axillaris (Salvin)
Chatham Petrel | Ranguru

Oestrelata axillaris Salvin, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1: 33 – “south-east island”, Chatham Islands.

Pterodroma cookii axillaris (Salvin); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 168.

Cookilaria cookii axillaris (Salvin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 233.

Cookilaria (cookii) axillaris (Salvin); Mathews 1936, Suppl. Birds Norfolk & Lord Howe Islands: 85, pl. opposite p. 83.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) axillaris axillaris (Salvin); C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 75.

Pterodroma hypoleuca axillaris (Salvin); Falla 1942, Emu 42: 117.

Pterodroma axillaris (Salvin); Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 10.

Pterodroma (Proaestrelata) axillaris (Salvin); Imber 1985, Ibis 127: 219.

Pterodroma (Oestrelatella) axillaris (Salvin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 51.

Breeds mainly on Rangatira (South East Island), Chatham Islands (West 1994). Breeding has recently begun on Pitt Island and south-west Chatham Island after successful reintroduction programmes (Miskelly et al. 2009; Gummer et al. 2015; Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019). Rare sightings over main Chatham Island at night (Imber 1994; West 1994; Medway 2000a). Range at sea poorly known but rarely seen near the Chatham Islands (A. Rogers 1980; Imber 1994; West 1994); one early record in the Wairarapa (Buller 1905–06). Migrates to the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (off Perú and northern Chile) from Jun. to Nov. (Rayner et al. 2012). Holocene remains on Chatham, Pitt, and Mangere Islands (West 1994; J.H. Cooper & Tennyson 2008). Remains considered to be from human middens on Chatham Island (e.g. Sutton & Marshall 1977) may be pre-human Holocene bones (Millener 1999).

➤ Pterodroma cookii (G.R. Gray)
Cook’s Petrel | Tītī*

Breeds only in New Zealand. We follow Rayner et al. (2021) in recognising two subspecies of Cook’s petrel, with the two breeding populations separated by c. 1,300 km. Both populations migrate to the eastern Pacific Ocean outside the breeding season. Formerly bred on mainland North and South Islands (Imber, West et al. 2003). North Island midden remains and Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones from the North and South Islands (Millener 1991; Worthy & Holdaway 2002; Worthy, Holdaway et al. 2002).

*Also used for other petrel species including grey-faced petrel Pt. gouldi and sooty shearwater Ardenna grisea.

Pterodroma cookii cookii (G.R. Gray)
Northern Cook’s Petrel

Procellaria Cookii G.R. Gray, 1843: in E. Dieffenbach, Travels in N.Z. 2: 199 – New Zealand, restricted to Mangaoraka Stream near Kaimiro, north Taranaki (fide Medway 2004, Notornis 51: 155).

Procellaria velox G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 648 (ex Solander MS) – no locality = Southern Ocean (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 169). Junior primary homonym of Procellaria velox Kuhl, 1820.

Rhantistes cookii (G.R. Gray); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768.

Rhantistes velox (G.R. Gray); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768.

Cookilaria leucoptera (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 190. In part.

Cookilaria velox (G.R. Gray); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 190.

Procellaria cookii G.R. Gray; G.R. Gray 1862, Ibis 4: 246.

Aestrelata Cookii (G.R. Gray); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 152.

Procellaria Cooki G.R. Gray; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76. Unjustified emendation.

Fulmarus (Cookilaria) Cookii (G.R. Gray); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 106.

Oestrelata cookii (G.R. Gray); Buller 1888 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 6): 217.

Oestrelata cooki (G.R. Gray); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 417. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma cookii cookii (G.R. Gray); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 166.

Cookilaria cookii cookii (G.R. Gray); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 233.

Cookilaria cookii (G.R. Gray); Mathews 1920, Austral Avian Rec. 4: 67.

Pterodroma cooki; Falla 1922, Emu 21: 207. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) cookii (G.R. Gray); C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 75.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) cookii cookii (G.R. Gray); Falla 1942, Emu 42: 115.

Bulweria cooki (G.R. Gray); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma cooki cooki (G.R. Gray); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 25. Unjustified emendation.

Pterodroma cookii (G.R. Gray); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 77.

Breeds on Hauturu / Little Barrier and Great Barrier / Aotea Islands (Imber, West et al. 2003; Rayner et al. 2007). During the breeding season, ranges mainly east of the North Island and into the northern Tasman Sea (Rayner, Hauber et al. 2008). Migrates to the eastern Pacific Ocean, mainly between the equator and 40°N (Rayner et al. 2011).

Pterodroma cookii orientalis Murphy
Southern Cook’s Petrel

Pterodroma cookii orientalis Murphy, 1929: American Mus. Novit. 370: 5 – 200 miles west of Callao, Perú.

Cookilaria cookii orientalis (Murphy); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 171.

Breeds on Codfish Island / Whenua Hou (Imber, West et al. 2003; Rayner, Parker et al. 2008). During the breeding season, ranges mainly into the southern Tasman Sea (Rayner, Hauber et al. 2008). Migrates to the eastern Pacific Ocean, mainly between the equator and 30°S (Rayner et al. 2011).

➤ Pterodroma longirostris (Stejneger)
Stejneger’s Petrel

Aestrelata longirostris Stejneger, 1893: Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 16: 618 – Mutzu Province, Honshu, Japan.

Oestrelata longirostris (Stejneger); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 418.

Pterodroma cookii longirostris (Stejneger); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 168.

Pterodroma (Aestrelata) cooki masafuerae Lönnberg, 1921: in Skottsberg, Nat. Hist. Juan Fernandez & Easter Islands 3: 14 – Masafuera Island, Juan Fernández Islands, Chile.

Pterodroma leucoptera masafuerae Lönnberg; R. Murphy 1929, American Mus. Novit. 370: 11.

Cookilaria leucoptera longirostris (Stejneger); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 170.

Cookilaria leucoptera masafuerae (Lönnberg); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 170.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) longirostris longirostris (Stejneger); Falla 1942, Emu 42: 112.

Pterodroma longirostris (Stejneger); Falla 1962, Notornis 9: 275.

Pterodroma longirostris longirostris (Stejneger); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 77.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) longirostris (Stejneger); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 48.

Breeds on Isla Alejandro Selkirk (i.e. Masafuera Island), Juan Fernández Islands (M. Brooke 1987). Migrates primarily to the north-west Pacific Ocean and is common off Japan Jul.–Aug.; fewer records east across the Pacific to the coast of North America (Tanaka et al. 1985; Kuroda 1991; Roberson & Bailey 1991; Spear et al. 1992; Bartle et al. 1993). Vagrant to the North Island, Nov.–Jan.: Baring Head, Dec. 1961 (NMNZ OR.009766); two, Ohope Beach, 1962 (Falla 1962a); Turakina Valley, 1963 (NMNZ OR.026704); east of Hawke Bay, 1978 (J. Jenkins 1981); Ruakaka Beach, 1980 (NMNZ OR.022677); Northland, 1981 (Checklist Committee 1990); three, Ninety Mile Beach, 1983 (Powlesland 1985); Pukerua Bay, 1989 (Guest 1991; Powlesland et al. 1992); Ninety Mile Beach, 2005 (L. Howell & Esler 2007; NMNZ OR.027767); and east of the Poor Knights Islands, Oct. 2020 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023).

➤ Pterodroma pycrofti Falla
Pycroft’s Petrel

Procellaria cooki; Reischek 1886, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 18: 92 – Lady Alice Island. Not Procellaria cookii G.R. Gray, 1843.

Pterodroma pycrofti Falla, 1933: Rec. Auck. Inst. Museum 1: 176 – Hen Island.

Cookilaria cookii pycrofti (Falla); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 170.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) pycrofti Falla; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 75.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) longirostris pycrofti Falla; Falla 1942, Emu 42: 114.

Cookilaria pycrofti; C.A. Fleming 1944, New Zealand Bird Notes 1(6): 58.

Pterodroma pycrofti Falla; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 23.

Pterodroma longirostris pycrofti Falla; Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 78.

Breeds only in New Zealand: on Stephenson Island / Mahinepua Island; Aorangi, Poor Knights Islands; Hen and Chickens (Coppermine, Whatupuke, Lady Alice, Mauitaha); and Mercury Islands (Red Mercury (Whakau), Korapuki, Double, Kawhitu / Stanley Islands) (Tennyson & Pierce 1995; G. Taylor 2000a; Miskelly, Gilad et al. 2019). A new breeding colony has been established on Cuvier Island / Repanga (G. Taylor 2008) after a successful introduction programme (Miskelly et al. 2009). Range at sea uncertain but extends east and west of the North Island (e.g. Bartle 1968; Powlesland 1987; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor 2004). Migrates to the North Pacific Ocean (Powlesland 1987; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Roberson & Bailey 1991; Spear et al. 1992; S. Howell, Webb et al. 1996). The sole Australian record was one prospecting on Broughton Island, New South Wales, in Oct. 2019, and a banded bird was recovered offshore of Papua New Guinea in May 2005 (Pierce 2009; Stuart & Clarke 2023). Three specimens labelled as collected at the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua are of dubious origin (Veitch et al. 2004). Late Pleistocene–Holocene remains found on Te Haupa Island (Saddle Island) in the Hauraki Gulf, Norfolk, Nepean, and Lord Howe Islands, and midden remains found on Norfolk Island, have been referred to this species (Meredith 1985, 1991; Tennyson & Taylor 1999; Holdaway & Anderson 2001; Holdaway et al. 2001; G. Baker et al. 2002; McAllan et al. 2004; Lombal et al. 2020).

➤ Pterodroma leucoptera (Gould)
Gould’s Petrel

Procellaria leucoptera Gould, 1844: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 364 – Cabbage Tree Island, New South Wales, Australia.

Two subspecies: Pt. l. leucoptera breeds on Cabbage Tree Island, Boondelbah Island, and nearby islands in New South Wales, Australia; Pt. l. caledonica breeds in the highlands of New Caledonia (Imber & Jenkins 1981; Priddel & Carlile 2004a; Portelli 2016). Ranges in the south-west Pacific and in the Tasman Sea to seas off Tasmania, and migrates to the central (leucoptera) and eastern (caledonica) tropical Pacific Ocean (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Priddel et al. 2014). Portelli (2016) recommended that no subspecies be recognised; however, we consider that there are sufficient morphological, ecological and behavioural differences between the two populations to continue recognition of two subspecies.

Pterodroma leucoptera caledonica Imber & Jenkins
New Caledonian Petrel

Pterodroma leucoptera new subspecies; Bull 1943, Emu 42: 152.

Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 24. Not Procellaria leucoptera Gould, 1844.

Pterodroma leucoptera subspecies; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 25.

Pterodroma leucoptera caledonica Naurois, 1978: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 287: 269. Nomen nudum (fide Palma & Tennyson 2005, Notornis 52: 247).

Pterodroma leucoptera caledonica Imber & Jenkins, 1981: Notornis 28: 153 – New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tonga, Tasman Sea and Pitcairn Island, restricted to “Noumeá Enterprises” Camp, Kalouehola River, 550 m below Mount Dzumac, New Caledonia (fide Palma & Tennyson 2005, Notornis 52: 248).

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) caledonica; Bourne 1983, Sea Swallow 32: 71.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) leucoptera caledonica Imber & Jenkins; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 49.

Breeds on New Caledonia (Imber & Jenkins 1981). Ranges far south in the Tasman Sea to waters off Tasmania and to the west of Foveaux Strait; migrates to the eastern Pacific, especially near the Galápagos Islands (Imber & Jenkins 1981; Nakamura 1982; Pitman 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Roberson & Bailey 1991; Spear et al. 1992). About 42 New Zealand records onshore (mainly beach-wrecked) as far south as Dunedin and Fiordland, but mainly from the North Island’s west coast and north-east to the Kermadec Islands, Nov. to Jun. (Fennell 1986; Powlesland 1987; Hawke 1989; Guest 1991; Powlesland & Powlesland 1994b; G. Taylor 1999, 2004; L. Howell & Esler 2007; Miskelly et al. 2013; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). The first records were ten beach-wrecked on Muriwai Beach, west Auckland, in Apr. 1942 (Bull 1943).

➤ Pterodroma brevipes (Peale)
Collared Petrel

Procellaria brevipes Peale, 1848: U.S. Expl. Exped. 8: 294, 337, pl. 80 – “latitude 68°S, longitude 95°W.” but probably Samoa Islands (fide Bourne 1967, Ibis 109: 155).

Procellaria Cookii Cassin, 1858: U.S. Expl. Exped.: 414 – “nearer the continent of America”. Not Procellaria Cookii G.R. Gray, 1843.

Procellaria torquata Macgillivray, 1860: Zool. 18: 7133 – Aneiteum Island, New Hebrides (= Vanuatu).

Procellaria desolata Schlegel, 1863: Rev. méth. critique. Mus. d’Hist. Nat. PaysBas 6(22): 13. Not Procellaria desolata Gmelin, 1789.

Fulmarus aneiteimensis G.R. Gray, 1871: Hand-list Birds 3: 107. Nomen nudum.

Oestrelata leucoptera Salvin, 1876: Ibis 6: 393. – Fiji Islands. Not Procellaria leucoptera Gould, 1844.

Procellaria caerulea Layard, 1876: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1876: 498 – Fiji Islands. Not Procellaria caerulea Gmelin, 1789.

Aestrelata leucoptera Ridgway, 1887: Man. North Amer. Birds: 65. Not Procellaria leucoptera Gould, 1844.

Oestrelata torquata (Macgillivray); Salvin 1888, Ibis 6 (5th series): 359.

Aestrelata brevipes (Peale); Stejneger, 1893: Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 16: 617.

Oestrelata brevipes (Peale); Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 408.

Pterodroma leucoptera brevipes (Peale); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 78.

Pterodroma (Cookilaria) brevipes (Peale); Imber 1985: Ibis 127: 224.

Pterodroma brevipes magnificens Bretagnolle & Shirihai, 2010: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 130: 288.

Pterodroma brevipes brevipes (Peale); Bretagnolle & Shirihai 2010, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 130: 300.

Breeds on islands in Vanuatu (Tanna, Erromango, and Vanua Lava, possibly Aneityum and Gaua) and Fiji (Kadavu and Gau, possibly Ovalau, Taveuni, Koro, Moala, Totoya, Vanuabalavu, and Matuku). Possibly also breeds in the Solomon Islands, Rarotonga, Moorea, Tahiti, Mangareva Island (Gambier Islands), Samoa, and American Samoa (Tennyson et al. 2012; M. O’Brien et al. 2016). Vagrant to seas near the Three Kings Islands: Mar. 2011 and Mar. 2019 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2021) and north of Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, Apr. 2021 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). The reported occurrence of a possible specimen from New Zealand (Clarkson & Walker 2001) is incorrect – the specimen (NMNZ OR.028682) is a mottled petrel (Pt. inexpectata).

Genus Halobaena Bonaparte

Halobaena Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria caerulea Gmelin = Halobaena caerulea (Gmelin).

Zaprium Coues, 1875: Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 2: 34 – Type species (by monotypy) Halobaena caerulea (Gmelin).

➤ Halobaena caerulea (Gmelin)
Blue Petrel

Procellaria caerulea Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 560. Based on the “Blue Petrel” of G. Forster 1777, Voyage World 1: 91 – Southern Ocean, between 47°S and 58°S.

Pachyptila caerulea (Gmelin); Illiger, 1811: Prodromus Syst. Mamm. Avium: 275.

Procellaria forsteri A. Smith, 1840: Illust. Zool. South Africa, Aves 2(11): pl. 53 & text opposite – Cape seas. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria forsteri Latham, 1790.

Procellaria similis J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 59 – Antarctic Ocean.

Halobaena coerulea [sic] (Gmelin); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 193.

Procellaria coerulea [sic] (Gmelin); Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 373.

Procellaria cerulea [sic] Gmelin; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Fulmarus (Halobaena) caeruleus (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 107.

Prion caerulea (Gmelin); Mathews 1911, Emu 10: 320.

Halobaena caerulea (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 235.

Halobaena caerulea victoriae Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 54 – Victoria, Australia.

Halobaena murphyi Brooks, 1917: Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoology 61: 146 – Stromness Bay, South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean.

Halobaena caerulea murphyi Brooks; Dell 1952, Emu 52: 150.

Breeds on Cape Horn and adjacent islands of the Hermite and Wollaston Groups; Islas Diego Ramirez and Ildefonso (G. Clark et al. 1992); South Georgia; and on Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, and Macquarie Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Baker et al. 2002). Ranges from Antarctica to about 30°S, sometimes further north (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Regular winter/spring visitor to New Zealand seas; hundreds beach-wrecked in 1981 (Powlesland 1983), 1984 (Powlesland 1986), 1985 (G. Taylor 2004), 1991 (Powlesland & Powlesland 1993), and 1999 (G. Taylor 2004). Straggler to the Kermadec / Rangitāhua (Clifford & Lawrie 1997), Chatham (Miskelly et al. 2006), Snares / Tini Heke (Miskelly et al. 2001a), Antipodes (Tennyson et al. 2002), and Auckland / Maukahuka (Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020) Islands. Identified from Holocene dune deposits on Enderby Island, Auckland Islands (Tennyson 2020a). Tentatively identified (R.J. Scarlett) from one North Island midden site (Checklist Committee 1990).

Genus Pachyptila Illiger

Pachyptila Illiger, 1811: Prodromus Syst. Mamm. Avium: 274 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria Forsteri Latham = Pachyptila vittata (G. Forster).

Prion Lesson, 1828: Manuel d’Ornith. 2: 399 (ex La Cépède, 1799) – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria vittata G. Forster = Pachyptila vittata (G. Forster).

Pseudoprion Coues, 1866: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 164 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria turtur Kuhl = Pachyptila turtur (Kuhl).

Fulmariprion Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 215 – Type species (by original designation) Pseudoprion turtur crassirostris Mathews = Pachyptila crassirostris (Mathews).

Heteroprion Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 222 – Type species (by original designation) Heteroprion belcheri Mathews = Pachyptila belcheri (Mathews).

Attaprion Mathews, 1933: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 54: 25 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria desolata Gmelin = Pachyptila desolata (Gmelin).

Salviprion Mathews, 1943: in Mathews & Hallstrom, Notes Procellariiformes: 30 – Type species (by original designation) Pachyptila salvini (Mathews). As a subgenus of Pachyptila.

➤ Pachyptila vittata (G. Forster)
Broad-billed Prion | Pararā

Procellaria vittata G. Forster, 1777: Voyage Round World 1: 98 (footnote) – Southern Ocean, restricted to Anchor Isle, Dusky Sound, Fiordland (fide Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 24).

Procellaria vittata Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 560. Based on the “Broad-billed Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 414 – Southern Hemisphere, restricted to New Zealand (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 209). Junior primary homonym of Procellaria vittata G. Forster, 1777.

Procellaria Forsteri Latham, 1790: Index Ornith. 2: 827 – New Zealand, restricted to Anchor Isle, Dusky Sound, Fiordland (fide Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 24).

Procellaria Latirostris Bonnaterre, 1791: Tableaux Encycl. Méthod. Ornith. 1(47): 81 – New Zealand, restricted to Anchor Isle, Dusky Sound, Fiordland (fide Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 24).

Prion vittatus (Cuv.) [sic]; Gould 1844, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 366. In part.

Prion lamellirostris Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768 – no locality = Anchor Isle, Dusky Sound, Fiordland (fide Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 24).

Prion vittata [sic] (G. Forster); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 192.

Prion magnirostris Gould, 1862: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1862 (8): 125 – no locality = Dusky Sound (fide Mathews & Iredale 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 24).

Prion vittatus Gmelin; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Prion (Prion) vittata [sic] (G. Forster); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108.

Prion (Prion) magnirostris Gould; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108.

Prion australis Potts, 1873: Ibis 3 (3rd series): 85 – New Zealand.

Prion vittatus vittatus (Gmelin); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 204.

Prion vittatus gouldi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 211, 203 (key) – Bass Strait, Australia.

Prion vittatus missus Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 212, 203 (key), pl. 92 – Western Australia, restricted to Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia (fide Greenway 1973, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 150: 221).

Prion vittatus keyteli Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 210 – Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic Ocean.

Pachyptila vittatus vittatus [sic] (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 236.

Pachyptila vittata vittata (Gmelin); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 39.

Pachyptila vittata gouldi (Mathews); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 39.

Pachyptila vittata missa (Mathews); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 40.

Pachyptila vittata (Gmelin); Mathews 1920, Austral Avian Rec. 4: 68.

Procellaria longirostris Mathews, 1927: Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 126 – New Zealand, restricted to Anchor Isle, Dusky Sound, Fiordland (fide Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 24). Error for “Procellaria latirostris” (fide Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 24).

Pachyptila vittata missus [sic] (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 126.

Pachyptila vittata keyteli (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 172.

Pachyptila vittata balaena Mathews, 1938: Emu 37: 281 – Cottesloe, Western Australia.

Pachyptila forsteri forsteri (Latham); C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 399.

Pachyptila (Pachyptila) vittata vittata (G. Forster); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 233.

Pachyptila (Pachyptila) vittata; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 143.

Pachyptila vittata vittata (G. Forster); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 19.

Pachyptila vittata (G. Forster); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 46.

Breeds on Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough Islands (M. Brooke 2004; Ryan 2007) and on many islands about southern New Zealand, in Fiordland and around Stewart Island / Rakiura and Foveaux Strait – including Solander (Hautere), Codfish / Whenua Hou, and Snares / Tini Heke Islands and most of the Chatham Islands (G. Taylor 2000b; Jamieson et al. 2016; Miskelly, Bishop et al. 2021). Ranges in South Atlantic and Tasman Sea and around New Zealand (P. Harper 1980; Marchant & Higgins 1990); vagrant to Perú, Chile, and Brazil (Portflitt-Toro et al. 2018; Pacheco et al. 2021). Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden records on North, South, and Chatham Islands, and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Millener 1991; Tennyson 2020a).

Mathews & Hallstrom (1943: 24) designated G. Forster’s drawing in plate 87 as the type (therefore lectotype) of Procellaria vittata G. Forster, 1777, with type locality as above. Medway (2002b) disputed the identity and locality of the prion depicted in plate 87, and suggested a new lectotype should be designated. However, Article 74.1.1 of ICZN (1999) states that “the valid designation of a lectotype fixes the status of the specimen as the sole name-bearing type of that nominal taxon; no later designation of a lectotype has any validity”.

➤ Pachyptila salvini (Mathews)
Salvin’s Prion

Prion vittatus salvini Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 212 – Crozets, Marion Island, etc., restricted to Marion Island, south Indian Ocean (fide Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 172).

Heteroprion desolatus crozeti Mathews, 1932: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 147 – Crozet Archipelago, south Indian Ocean.

Pachyptila vittata salvini (Mathews); Mathews  1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 172.

Pachyptila gouldi maui Mathews, 1937: Emu 37: 118 – Kapiti Island.

Pachyptila gouldi whittelli Mathews, 1938: Emu 37: 282 – Bunbury, Western Australia.

Pachyptila (Pachyptila) salvini salvini (Mathews); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 233.

Pachyptila (Pachyptila) salvini crozeti (Mathews); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 233.

Pachyptila (Pachyptila) salvini; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 143.

Pachyptila salvini muriwai Mathews & Hallstrom, 1943: Notes Procellariiformes: 23 – Muriwai Beach.

Pachyptila (Salviprion) salvini (Mathews); Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 30.

Pachyptila salvini salvini (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 19.

Pachyptila salvini crozeti (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 19.

Pachyptila vittata crozeti; Watson et al. 1971, Antarctic Map Folio Series 14: 8.

Breeds on Marion, Prince Edward, and Crozet (Hog, Penguin, Apostles, Possession, East) Islands (Powlesland 1989a). Ranges mainly in the Indian Ocean south of 40°S, regularly reaching the coasts of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, mainly in winter (Jouventin et al. 1985; Marchant & Higgins 1990). A banded Crozet Island juvenile was found in New Zealand in Mar. 1974 (A. Howell 1974). In some years thousands of juveniles are beach-wrecked in New Zealand (P. Harper 1980; Powlesland 1989a). Remains of one were found in a skua midden on Snares Islands / Tini Heke in 1985 (Miskelly et al. 2001a); remains (NMNZ OR.028027), probably of this species, were found at the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua in 2002; and two were found beach-wrecked on Chatham Island in Oct. 1996 (Miskelly et al. 2006). Holocene bones from North Island dunes (Millener 1991).

No subspecies are recognised, as the Checklist Committee considers MacGillivray’s prion (P. macgillivrayi) to be a full species (see Bretagnolle et al. 1990; Worthy & Jouventin 1999; Shirihai 2002; Onley & Scofield 2007; Dilley et al. 2015; BirdLife International 2021; C. Jones et al. 2021).

➤ Pachyptila desolata (Gmelin)
Antarctic Prion | Totorore*

Procellaria desolata Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 562. Based on the “Brownbanded Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 409) – Desolation Island = Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean (fide Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 40).

Procellaria Fasciata Bonnaterre, 1791: Tableaux Encycl. Méthod. Ornith. 1(47): 79. Based on the “Brown-banded Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 409) – Desolation Island = Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean (fide Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 40).

Daption desolatum (Gmelin); Stephens 1826, in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 244.

Pachyptila banksi A. Smith, 1840: Illust. Zool. South Africa, Aves 2: pl. 55 – seas off Cape of Good Hope.

Prion Banksii (A. Smith); Gould 1844, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 366. Unjustified emendation.

Aestrelata desolata (Gmelin); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 189.

Prion banksi (A. Smith); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 193.

Prion rossi Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 193 – Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean.

Procellaria (Aestrelata) desolata Gmelin; G.R. Gray 1859, Cat. Birds Tropical Is Pacific Ocean: 55.

Prion banksii (A. Smith); G.R. Gray 1862, Ibis 4: 247. Unjustified emendation.

Procellaria banksii (A. Smith); Schlegel 1863, Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 17. Unjustified emendation.

Pseudoprion Banksii (A. Smith); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 166. Unjustified emendation.

Prion Banksi (A. Smith); Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 373.

Prion (Pseudoprion) Banksii (A. Smith); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108. Unjustified emendation.

Prion (Pseudoprion) desolata (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108.

Prion banksii Gould [sic]; Buller 1873 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 5): 311. Unjustified emendation.

Prion desolatus (Gmelin); Sharpe 1879, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London 168: 137.

Prion banksi (A. Smith); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 434.

Prion dispar Vanhöffen, 1905: Journ. für Ornith. 53: 505 – Heard Island, southern Indian Ocean. Nomen nudum.

Heteroprion desolatus mattingleyi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 223 (key), 226 – Geelong, Australia.

Heteroprion desolatus macquariensis Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 231 – Macquarie Island.

Heteroprion desolatus peringueyi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 230 – Pondoland coast, South Africa.

Heteroprion desolatus alter Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 231 – Auckland Islands.

Heteroprion desolatus desolatus (Gmelin); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 40.

Prion dispar Bianchi, 1913: Faune Russie, Oiseaux 1(2): 523 (ex Vanhöffen 1905) – Heard Island, southern Indian Ocean.

Heteroprion desolatus (Gmelin); Mathews 1920, Austral Avian Rec. 4: 68.

Heteroprion desolatus alexanderi Mathews & Iredale, 1921: Man. Birds of Australia 1: 42 – Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia.

Heteroprion desolatus banksi (A. Smith); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 316.

Heteroprion desolatus georgia Mathews, 1932: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 147 – Stromness Bay, South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean.

Pachyptila vittata georgicus Mathews, 1933: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 53: 214 – Stromness Bay, South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean.

Attaprion desolatus (Gmelin); Mathews 1933, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 54: 25.

Attaprion desolatus desolatus (Gmelin); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 173.

Attaprion desolatus mattingleyi (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 173.

Attaprion desolatus macquariensis (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 173.

Attaprion desolatus banksi (A. Smith); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 173.

Attaprion desolatus georgia (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 173.

Heteroprion desolatus dispar Iredale, 1938: Emu 37: 244 (ex Vanhöffen 1905) – Heard Island, southern Indian Ocean. Junior secondary homonym of Prion dispar Bianchi, 1913.

Pachyptila (Heteroprion) desolata desolata (Gmelin); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 233.

Pachyptila (Heteroprion) desolata alter (Mathews); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 234.

Pachyptila (Heteroprion) desolata banksi (A. Smith); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 234.

Pachyptila (Heteroprion) desolata; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 143.

Heteroprion desolatus heardi Mathews, 1942: Emu 41: 264. Unnecessary nomen novum for Heteroprion desolatus dispar Iredale, 1938.

Pachyptila desolata (Gmelin); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Pachyptila desolata georgia (Mathews); Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History 13(1) no 2: 56.

Pachyptila desolata desolata (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 19.

Pachyptila desolata banksi A. Smith; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 19.

Pachyptila desolata alter (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 19.

Pachyptila vittata desolata (Gmelin); Cox 1980, Rec. South Austr. Museum 18: 119.

Pachyptila desolata altera (Mathews); Normand & Gosselin 2002, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 122: 16. Unjustified emendation.

Breeding on subantarctic and antarctic islands: South Georgia, South Sandwich, South Orkney, South Shetland, Crozet (East, Penguin), Kerguelen, Heard, Macquarie, McDonald, Auckland / Maukahuka, and Scott Islands; possibly on Bouvetøya and Balleny Islands and islets off Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku; formerly at Cape Denison, Antarctica (Bailey & Sorensen 1962; Tickell 1962; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Baker et al. 2002; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Ranges mainly between about 50°S and the pack-ice during the breeding season; moving northward when not breeding (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Regular visitor to seas off mainland New Zealand, mainly in winter (P. Harper 1980; Powlesland 1989a). Straggler to Vanuatu (Jouanin & Mougin 1979) and the Kermadec / Rangitāhua and Chatham Islands (Imber 1994; Veitch et al. 2004). Identified from Holocene dune deposits at the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Tennyson 2020a). No subspecies accepted here following P. Harper (1980), Marchant & Higgins (1990), and Dickinson (2003).

*Also used for other petrel species including little shearwater Puffinus assimilis.

➤ Pachyptila belcheri (Mathews)
Thin-billed Prion | Korotangi

Procellaria turtur Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 218 (ex Solander MS) – 59°S off Tierra del Fuego, South America (fide Medway 2002, Notornis 49: 62). Junior homonym of Procellaria turtur Kuhl, 1820.

Pseudoprion turtur solanderi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 220 – west coast South America, restricted to Cape Horn (fide Greenway 1973, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 150: 222).

Heteroprion belcheri Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 224 – Geelong, Australia.

Heteroprion belcheri serventyi Mathews, 1935: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 55: 160 – Cottesloe, Western Australia.

Pachyptila (Heteroprion) belcheri orientalis Falla, 1937: BANZARE Reports, ser. B, 2: 200 – Royal Sound, Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean.

Heteroprion belcheri lalfa Mathews, 1939: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 59: 103 – Kapiti Island.

Heteroprion belcheri falklandicus Mathews, 1939: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 59: 104 – Falkland Islands, South Atlantic Ocean.

Pachyptila (Heteroprion) belcheri (Mathews); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 234.

Pachyptila belcheri (Mathews); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Pachyptila belcheri falklandica (Mathews); Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History13(1) no 2: 57.

Breeds on Isla Noir and Landfall Island, Chile (G. Clark et al. 1992), Falkland Islands (New Island and about 12 other colonies), East Island (Crozet Group), and at Kerguelen Islands (Strange 1980; Croxall et al. 1984); possibly at Staten Island and other islets in the region of Tierra del Fuego (P. Harper 1972), and at Macquarie Island (G. Baker et al. 2002). Ranges extensively within subantarctic and antarctic seas; north to 30°S in winter and spring (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Regular winter visitor to New Zealand seas (Powlesland 1989a). New Zealand beach-wrecks are thought to be from Kerguelen Islands (P. Harper 1972); one bird banded there recovered dead on a South Island beach (Imber 2003). Straggler to Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua (J. Macdonald & Lawford 1954; Sorensen 1964) and Campbell / Motu Ihupuku Islands (Bailey & Sorensen 1962). The taxon Pseudoprion turtur solanderi Mathews, 1912 was listed as a synonym of Pachyptila turtur (Kuhl) by Checklist Committee (1990), but Falla (1940b), P. Harper (1972) and G. Clark et al. (1992) considered it a synonym of Pachyptila belcheri. Although Pseudoprion turtur solanderi has page priority over Pachyptila belcheri in Mathews (1912–13), the latter is still the valid name for the thin-billed prion because of the Principle of the First Reviser (ICZN 1999: 24, 30).

➤ Pachyptila turtur (Kuhl)
Fairy Prion | Tītī Wainui

Shepherd et al. (2022) analysed genomic diversity in the fairy prion + fulmar prion complex, and found neither of these previously-recognised species to be monophyletic. We follow Shepherd et al. (2022) in recognising two subspecies of fairy prion, with the nominate turtur confined to New Zealand (other than Antipodes Islands), south-eastern Australia, and St Paul Island, Indian Ocean, and the subantarctic fairy prion P. t. eatoni breeding on Kerguelen Islands, Heard Island, and the Antipodes Islands, and likely on Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Marion and Prince Edward Islands, Crozet Islands, and Macquarie Island. Shepherd et al. (2022) clarified the uncertain taxonomic status of prions breeding on Heard Island, i.e. that they are fairy prions rather than fulmar prions Pachyptila crassirostris (see Cox 1980; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Tennyson & Bartle 2005). The synonymies and breeding locations for Pachyptila turtur have now been split between Pachyptila turtur turtur (Kuhl) and Pachyptila turtur eatoni (Mathews).

Pachyptila turtur turtur (Kuhl)
Northern Fairy Prion | Tītī Wainui

Procellaria turtur Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 143 (ex Banks MS) – no locality = Bass Strait, Australia (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 219).

Prion Turtur (Kuhl); Gould 1844, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 366.

Prion brevirostris Gould, 1855: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1855 (23): 88, pl. 93 – Madeira or Desertas Islands, North Atlantic Ocean, error for South Atlantic Ocean (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 220).

Halobaena typica Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 194 – “Insula Waigiou”, error for ?Bass Strait, Australia (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 219).

Prion ariel Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 194 (ex Gould) – Australia? = Bass Strait, Australia (fide Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 436).

Procellaria ariel Gould [sic]; G.R. Gray 1862, Ibis 4: 247.

Pseudoprion turtur (Banks) [sic]; Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 166.

Pseudoprion ariel (Gould) [sic]; Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 166.

? Pseudoprion brevirostris (Gould); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 167.

Prion ariel Gould [sic]; Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 374.

Prion (Pseudoprion) turtur (Smith) [sic]; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108.

Prion (Pseudoprion) ariel (Gould) [sic]; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108.

Prion turtur Solander [sic]; Hutton 1872, Ibis 2 (3rd series): 249.

Prion turtur (Kuhl); Buller 1873 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 5): 309.

Pachyptila Ariel (Gould) [sic]; Cabanis & Reichenow 1876, Journ. für Ornith. 24: 328.

Pseudoprion turtur huttoni Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 220 – Chatham Islands.

Pseudoprion turtur turtur (Kuhl); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 40.

Pseudoprion turtur nova Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 55 – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Pseudoprion turtur (Kuhl); Mathews 1920, Austral Avian Rec. 4: 68.

Pseudoprion turtur brevirostris (Gould); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 317.

Pachyptila turtur turtur; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 115. In part.

Pachyptila turtur fallai Oliver, 1930: New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 114 – Otago.

Heteroprion belcheri fallai (Oliver); Mathews 1931, Ibis 1 (13th series): 44.

Pseudoprion turtur steadi Mathews, 1932: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 146 – “Cundy, Woman’s and Betsy Islands”, off Stewart Island, restricted to Herekopare Island (fide Miskelly 2012, Notornis 59: 9).

Pseudoprion turtur oliveri Mathews, 1932: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 52: 147 – Motunau Island, Canterbury.

Pseudoprion turtur fallai (Oliver); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 174.

Pseudoprion turtur dertrum Mathews, 1938: Emu 37: 281 – Bunbury, Western Australia.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) turtur huttoni (Mathews); C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 400.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) turtur turtur (Kuhl); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 234.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) turtur fallai (Oliver); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 234.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) turtur; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 143.

Pseudoprion turtur mangarei Mathews & Hallstrom, 1943: Notes Procellariiformes: 23 – Mangare Island = Mangere Island, Chatham Islands.

Pseudoprion turtur benchi Mathews & Hallstrom, 1943; Notes Procellariiformes: 23 – Bench Island, off Stewart Island.

Pseudoprion turtur armiger Mathews & Hallstrom, 1943: Notes Procellariiformes: 23 – Poor Knights Islands.

Pachyptila turtur (Kuhl); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 20.

Pachyptila turtur turtur Oliver, 1955: New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 117.

Breeds in Australia on islands off Victoria and around Tasmania (P. Harper 1980; Marchant & Higgins 1990) and Roche Quille (St Paul Island). Breeds on many islands in and near the New Zealand region: Poor Knights; Stephens / Takapourewa, Trios, Jag Rocks, Sentinel Rock, The Haystack / Moturaka, Ninepin Rock, The Brothers (all Cook Strait); Motukiekie Rocks, Open Bay Island, Motunau Island, Banks Peninsula islets, Dunedin coastal cliffs and nearby islands, islands in Foveaux Strait and off Stewart Island / Rakiura; Snares Islands / Tini Heke; Chatham Islands (Mangere, Little Mangere, Rabbit, Kokope, Murumurus, Star Keys, The Sisters) (P. Harper 1976; Powlesland 1989a; Imber 1994; D. Brown 1995; Stuart-Menteath 1996; Loh 2000; G. Taylor 2000b; G. Baker et al. 2002; Jamieson et al. 2016; Shepherd et al. 2002). Recently found breeding on mainland cliff ledges at Dunedin, South Island (Loh 2000), and has begun breeding on Mana Island, off Wellington, after a successful introduction programme (Miskelly & Gummer 2013). Ranges in subtropical seas, including the Tasman Sea and throughout the New Zealand region (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Reaches further north in winter; straggler to New Guinea, South America, and southern Africa (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Birds banded in the Cook Strait region have been recovered as far away as Australia and the Chatham Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Medway (2002b) clarified the identity of Kuhl’s type material. Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden records on North, South, Stewart / Rakiura, and Chatham Islands (Millener 1991; Worthy 1998c).

Pachyptila turtur eatoni (Mathews)
Subantarctic Fairy Prion

Pseudoprion turtur eatoni Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 220 – Kerguelen Island, south Indian Ocean.

Pachyptila turtur turtur; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 114. In part.

Pachyptila turtur crassirostris (Mathews); Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 115. In part.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) turtur eatoni (Mathews); Falla 1937, BANZARE Reports, ser. B, 2: 203.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) eatoni eatoni (Mathews); C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 396, 398.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) eatoni aff. eatoni (Mathews); C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 396, 398.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) crassirostris eatoni (Mathews); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 228, 234.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) crassirostris; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 143. In part.

Fulmariprion crassirostris eatoni; Mathews & Hallstrom 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 26. In part.

Pachyptila crassirostris eatoni (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 20. In part.

Pachyptila crassirostris crassirostris (Mathews); Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 115. In part.

Pachyptila turtur subantarctica Oliver, 1955: New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 119 – Antipodes Island.

Pachyptila turtur eatoni; Cox 1980, Rec. South Austr. Museum 18: 119. In part.

Pachyptila crassirostris flemingi Tennyson & Bartle, 2005: Notornis 52: 49 – Ewing Island, Auckland Islands.

Pachyptila turtur eatoni (Mathews); Shepherd et al. 2022, PLoS ONE 17(9): e0275102, p. 17.

Breeds on Kerguelen Islands, Heard Island, and Antipodes Islands (Shepherd et al. 2022). Presumed to be the form of fairy prion that breeds on Beauchêne Island (Falkland Islands), South Georgia, Marion and Prince Edward Islands, Crozets (Hog, Penguin, East), Macquarie Island, and Bishop and Clerk Islands; and possibly on islets off Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku (G. Taylor 2000b; G. Baker et al. 2002; Tennyson et al. 2002; Jamieson et al. 2016; Shepherd et al. 2022). Ranges in subantarctic and subtropical seas, including the Tasman Sea and throughout the New Zealand region (Marchant & Higgins 1990).

➤ Pachyptila pyramidalis C.A. Fleming
Pyramid Prion

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) eatoni pyramidalis C.A. Fleming, 1939: Emu 38: 400 – The Pyramid, Chatham Islands.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) crassirostris pyramidalis C.A. Fleming; Falla 1940, Emu 40: 234.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) crassirostris C.A. Fleming; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 143. In part.

Pachyptila crassirostris pyramidalis C.A. Fleming; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 20.

Pachyptila turtur crassirostris (Mathews); Cox 1980, Rec. South Austr. Museum 18: 119. In part.

Pachyptila pyramidalis C.A. Fleming; Shepherd et al. 2022, PLoS ONE 17(9): e0275102, p. 17.

Genomic analyses by Shepherd et al. (2022) revealed fulmar prion Pachyptila crassirostris to be paraphyletic, with populations from the Chatham Islands more closely related to Pachyptila turtur than they were to nominate crassirostris. Due to their morphological distinctiveness and the proximity of their breeding sites within the Chatham Islands, we consider turtur and pyramidalis to be full species.

Breeds on The Pyramid / Tarakoikoia and Motuhara / The Forty Fours (Chatham Islands; Tennyson & Bartle 2005; Jamieson et al. 2016; Shepherd et al. 2022). Presumed to remain in adjacent seas; possibly straggles to mainland New Zealand coasts in winter (Palma & Pilgrim 2002; Tennyson & Bartle 2005). Holocene bone records from Chatham Island are presumed to be from the locally breeding subspecies (Bourne 1964; Checklist Committee 1990).

A capital ‘P’ should be used for the common name Pyramid prion regardless of editorial style, as it is named after The Pyramid / Tarakoikoia (the type locality).

➤ Pachyptila crassirostris (Mathews)
Fulmar Prion

As explained under the two preceding species, we follow Shepherd et al. (2022) in treating Pyramid prion (previously Pachyptila crassirostris pyramidalis) as a full species, and in recognising the prions that breed on Heard Island as being a form of fairy prion Pachyptila turtur (they were previously considered to be Pachyptila crassirostris flemingi). We therefore recognise just two subspecies of fulmar prions (crassirostris and flemingi), with the species endemic to New Zealand. P. c. flemingi is now recognised as being confined to the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka when breeding.

Breeds at Bounty, Snares / Tini Heke, and Auckland / Maukahuka Islands. Apparently remains in adjacent seas but may be storm-drifted further away. Live records (subspecies unknown) from the south Tasman Sea (P. Harper 1972) and south-east of New Zealand (Marchant & Higgins 1990).

Pachyptila crassirostris crassirostris (Mathews)
Fulmar Prion

Prion turtur; Reischek 1888, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 21: 388. Not Procellaria turtur Kuhl, 1820.

Pseudoprion turtur crassirostris Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 221 – Bounty Islands.

Pachyptila turtur crassirostris (Mathews); Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 115. In part.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) turtur eatoni (Mathews); Falla 1937, BANZARE Reports, ser. B, 2: 203. In part.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) eatoni crassirostris (Mathews); C.A. Fleming 1939, Emu 38: 398.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) crassirostris crassirostris (Mathews); Falla 1940, Emu 40: 234.

Pachyptila (Pseudoprion) crassirostris; C.A. Fleming 1941, Emu 41: 143. In part.

Fulmariprion crassirostris antipodes Mathews & Hallstrom, 1943: Notes Procellariiformes: 26 – Antipodes Islands.

Pachyptila crassirostris Mathews; Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Pachyptila crassirostris crassirostris (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 20.

Breeds on the Bounty Islands, and Rima and Toru Islets of the Western Chain, Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Miskelly et al. 2001a; Jamieson et al. 2016). Presumed to remain in adjacent seas but occasionally reaches New Zealand coasts in winter, notably in 1985 (Powlesland 1987; Tennyson & Bartle 2005).

Pachyptila crassirostris flemingi Tennyson & Bartle
Lesser Fulmar Prion

Pachyptila crassirostris crassirostris (Mathews); Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 115. In part.

Pachyptila crassirostris eatoni (Mathews); Checklist Committee 1970, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 26. In part.

Pachyptila turtur eatoni; Cox 1980, Rec. South Austr. Museum 18: 119. Not Pseudoprion turtur eatoni Mathews, 1912. In part.

Pachyptila crassirostris flemingi Tennyson & Bartle, 2005: Notornis 52: 49 – Ewing Island, Auckland Islands.

Breeds on Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Ewing, Ocean, Rose, Disappointment, and Monumental Islands) (Tennyson & Bartle 2005; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Occurs at sea around the breeding islands, with possible stragglers reaching mainland New Zealand and Tasmania (Tennyson & Bartle 2005). Tentatively identified from Holocene dune deposits on Enderby Island, Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Tennyson 2020a).

Genus Bulweria Bonaparte

Bulweria Bonaparte, 1843: Nuov. Ann. Sci. Nat. R. Accad. Sci. Istituto Bologna (1842) 8: 426 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria bulwerii Jardine & Selby = Bulweria bulwerii (Jardine & Selby).

➤ Bulweria bulwerii (Jardine & Selby)
Bulwer’s Petrel

Procellaria Bulwerii Jardine & Selby, 1828: Illust. Ornith. 2(4): pl. 65 & text – Madeira, Atlantic Ocean.

Procellaria anjinho Heineken, 1829: in Brewster’s Edinb. Journ. Sci. 1(9): 231 – Madeira, Atlantic Ocean.

Thalassidroma Bulweri (Jardine & Selby); G.R. Gray 1844, Gen. Birds 3: 648. Unjustified emendation.

Aestrelata Bulweri (Jardine & Selby); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 158. Unjustified emendation.

Bulweria bulweri (Jardine & Selby); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 420. Unjustified emendation.

Bulweria bulweri pacifica Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 607 – Iwojima, Bonin Islands. Unjustified emendation.

Bulweria bulwerii bulwerii (Jardine & Selby); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 124.

Bulweria bulwerii pacifica Mathews & Iredale; Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 124.

Bulweria bulwerii (Jardine & Selby); Peters 1931, Check-list Birds World 1: 68.

Breeds on islands in the north-east Atlantic and north-west and central Pacific Oceans (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Bartle et al. 1993). Atlantic birds migrate south and west into the tropics (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Range at sea of Pacific birds poorly known; some migration southward (Sep. to Apr.) including into the equatorial, central and western Indian Ocean (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Bartle et al. 1993). One record from the New Zealand region: a dead bird on Te Horo Beach, Horowhenua, Jan. 1998 (Palma 1999; G. Taylor 2004).

Genus Procellaria Linnaeus

Procellaria Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 131 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria aequinoctialis Linnaeus.

Priofinus Hombron & Jacquinot, 1844: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris: 18: 355 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria cinerea Gmelin.

Majaqueus Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat.: iv – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria aequinoctialis Linnaeus.

Adamastor Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 43: 595 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria haesitata J.R. Forster = Procellaria cinerea Gmelin.

Cymatobolus Heine & Reichenow, 1890: Nom. Mus. Hein. Ornith.: 363. Unnecessary nomen novum for Majaqueus Reichenbach, 1853.

Cymotobolus Mathews, 1936: Emu 36: 91. Unjustified emendation.

Cymbatobolus Checklist Committee, 1990: Checklist Birds N.Z.: 33. Unjustified emendation.

➤ Procellaria aequinoctialis Linnaeus
White-chinned Petrel | Karetai Kauae Mā

Procellaria aequinoctialis Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 132 – Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

Procellaria fuliginosa Shaw, 1790: in J. White, Journ. Voy. New South Wales, ed. 1: pl. opposite p. 252 – Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Puffinus aequinoctialis (Linnaeus); G.R. Gray 1843, in E. Dieffenbach, Travels in N.Z. 2: 199.

Procellaria nigra J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 26 – Southern Ocean. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria nigra Pallas, 1769.

Majaqueus fuliginosa Bonaparte, 1856: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768 (ex Solander MS) – no locality = Antarctic and Pacific Oceans (fide Salvin 1876, in Rowley’s Ornith. Miscellany 1: 231). Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Fulmarus (Majaqueus) aequinoctialis (Linnaeus); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108.

Procellaria (Majaqueus) aequinoctialis; Oustalet 1891, Mission Scient. Cap Horn 6 Zoologie (B): 161.

Majaqueus aequinoctialis (Linnaeus); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 395.

Procellaria aequinoctialis mixta Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 111 – South Atlantic 500 km north of Cape Town.

Procellaria aequinoctialis steadi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 107 (key), 112 – Antipodes Island.

Procellaria aequinoctialis brabournei Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 113 – western coast of South America.

Procellaria aequinoctialis aequinoctialis Linnaeus; Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 314.

Procellaria aequinoctialis; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 127, 176.

Procellaria steadi Mathews; Fraser et al. 2005, Notornis 52: 175.

Circumpolar in southern oceans, breeding at South Georgia, Falkland, Marion and Prince Edward, Crozet (Possession, East, Penguin, and the Apostles), Kerguelen, Antipodes, Auckland / Maukahuka (Auckland, Adams, Disappointment, Ewing, Monumental, Enderby), and Campbell / Motu Ihupuku (Dent, Jacquemart, Monowai, Cossack Rock) Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor 2000a; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020; Rexer-Huber et al. 2020). Ranges between antarctic region and 30°S but much further north off South America and Africa in winter (Mougin 1970; Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Spear et al. 2005). Visitor to seas off mainland New Zealand and to the Chatham Islands, with most of the New Zealand population probably migrating to the west coast of South America when not breeding (Marchant & Higgins 1990; M. Fraser et al. 2005; Spear et al. 2005). Considered to be monotypic, since the elevation of P. a. conspicillata Gould, 1844 to a full species (Ryan 1998). There are suggestions that the Antipodes Islands birds may be a separate species also (M. Fraser et al. 2005). Recorded from middens at Kaikoura, South Island, as Holocene remains in Chatham Island dunes (Bourne 1964; Checklist Committee 1990; Millener 1991), and from natural deposits and middens at the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Anderson 2005; Tennyson 2020a).

➤ Procellaria westlandica Falla
Westland Petrel | Tāiko*

Procellaria parkinsoni westlandica Falla, 1946: Rec. Cant. Museum 5: 111 – Barrytown, West Coast of South Island.

Procellaria westlandica Falla; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 23.

Breeds only near the Punakaiki River in hills below 250 m (H. Best & Owen 1976; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Spear et al. 2005). Ranges mainly in seas between Taranaki and Stewart Island / Rakiura (Petyt 1995; Miskelly et al. 2001a), through Cook Strait to between East Cape / Koromere and Otago (Bartle 1974; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Anderson 1992; Foreman 1992, 1994; A. Wright 1994; Onley 1995b; Freeman et al. 2001); rarely reaching south of Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Petyt 1995) and north and west to eastern and southern Australia (Marchant & Higgins 1990) and (in Dec. and Apr.) to the Chatham Islands (Imber 1994; Miskelly et al. 2006). Immatures and non-breeders occur regularly in South American waters, off Chile and Argentina (Brinkley et al. 2000; Spear et al. 2005). Holocene bones from cave deposits near Punakaiki and from dunes and one cave on Chatham Island (Checklist Committee 1990; Millener 1991).

*Also used for Chatham Island taiko Pterodroma magentae and black petrel Procellaria parkinsoni.

➤ Procellaria parkinsoni G.R. Gray
Black Petrel | Tāiko*

Procellaria parkinsoni G.R. Gray, 1862: Ibis 4: 245 – New Zealand.

Procellaria fuliginosa G.R. Gray, 1862: Ibis 4: 245 (ex Banks MS) – no locality = Antarctic and Pacific Oceans (fide Salvin 1876, in Rowley’s Ornith. Miscellany 1: 231). Junior primary homonym of Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Majaqueus parkinsoni (G.R. Gray); Hutton 1869, Ibis 5 (new series): 351.

Procellaria Parkinsoni L. [sic]; Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 372.

Procellaria Parkinsoni G.R. Gray; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Fulmarus (Majaqueus) Parkinsoni (G.R. Gray); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 108.

Procellaria [aequinoctialis] parkinsoni G.R. Gray; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 176.

Procellaria parkinsoni G.R. Gray; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 22.

Breeds only on Hauturu / Little Barrier and Great Barrier / Aotea Islands (Imber 1987; G. Taylor 2000a; E. Bell et al. 2007); formerly also on ranges of the North Island and north-west regions of the South Island (Imber 1987; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Medway 2002a,e). Ranges at sea mainly between 30°S and 42°S near New Zealand while breeding, but reaches seas off Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Palliser 2005; E. Bell et al. 2007). Rare vagrants recorded as beach-wrecks in the South Island (Powlesland 1989b). Migrates to the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, from Mexico to Perú and off the Galápagos Islands (Jehl 1974; Imber 1987; Pitman & Ballance 1992; Imber, McFadden et al. 2003; Spear et al. 2005). Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones from Far North dunes and from cave deposits in both the North and South Islands (Millener 1981a, 1991).

*Also used for Chatham Island taiko Pterodroma magentae and Westland petrel Procellaria westlandica.

➤ Procellaria cinerea Gmelin
Grey Petrel | Kuia

Procellaria cinerea Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 563. Based on the “Cinereous Fulmar” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 405 – within the Antarctic Circle = New Zealand seas at 48°S (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 123, contra Mathews 1916, Austral Avian Rec. 3: 54).

Procellaria gelida Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 564. Based on the “Glacial Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 399 – within the Antarctic Circle (fide Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History 13(1) no 2: 60).

Procellaria Melanura Bonnaterre, 1791: Tableaux Encycl. Méthod. Ornith. 1(47): 79. Based on the “Cinereous Fulmar” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 405 – within the Antarctic Circle = seas south of New Zealand (fide Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History 13(1) no 2: 60).

Puffinus cinereus (Gmelin); Stephens 1826, in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 227.

Daption gelidum (Gmelin); Stephens 1826, in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 245.

Procellaria haesitata J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 208 – “in lat. 48° Oceani pacifici antarctici” = seas south of New Zealand (fide Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History 13(1) no 2: 60).

Rhantistes gelida (Gmelin); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768.

Cookilaria cinerea (Gmelin); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 43: 995.

Adamastor typus Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 187 – Antarctic seas.

Procellaria adamastor Schlegel, 1863: Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 23. Unnecessary nomen novum for Adamastor typus Bonaparte, 1857.

Adamastor cinereus (Gmelin); Coues 1864, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 119, 142.

Adamastor gelidus (Gmelin); Coues 1864, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 121, 142.

Aestrelata haesitata (J.R. Forster); Hutton 1869, Ibis 5 (new series): 352.

Fulmarus gelidus (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 106.

Priofinus melanurus (Vieillot); Ridgway 1880, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 2: 209.

Priofinus cinereus (Gmelin); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 390.

Procellaria pallipes Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 123 (ex Solander MS) – 37°10’S, 162°5’W.

Priofinus cinereus dydimus Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 54 – New Zealand.

Priofinus cinereus cinereus (Gmelin); Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 314.

Adamastor cinerea [sic] (Gmelin); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 176.

Procellaria cinerea Gmelin; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 22.

Breeds on Tristan da Cunha, Gough, Prince Edward, Crozet (Possession, East), Kerguelen, Amsterdam, Campbell Island group (Campbell / Motu Ihupuku, Dent, probably Jacquemart), Antipodes (including Bollons) (Imber 1983; Jouventin et al. 1984; G. Taylor 2000a), and Macquarie Islands (G. Baker et al. 2002); probably breeds on Inaccessible Island (M. Brooke 2004); formerly bred on Marion Island (G. Taylor 2000a). Circumpolar at sea, mainly between 32°S and 58°S (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). More common south and east of New Zealand than in the Tasman Sea (Powlesland 1989b; Bartle 1990; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Imber et al. 2005). Holocene bones on Chatham Island (Bourne 1964; Scarlett 1976a), and tentatively identified from Holocene dune deposits at the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Tennyson 2020a).

Genus Pseudobulweria Mathews

Pseudobulweria Mathews, 1936: Ibis 6 (13th series): 309 – Type species (by original designation) Thalassidroma (Bulweria) macgillivrayi G.R. Gray = Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi (G.R. Gray).

➤ Pseudobulweria rostrata (Peale)
Tahiti Petrel

Procellaria rostrata Peale, 1848: U.S. Expl. Exped. 8: 296 – about 6,000 feet a.s.l., mountains of Tahiti, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean.

Rhantistes rostrata (Peale); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 768.

Aestrelata desolata rostrata (Peale); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 189.

Procellaria (Aestrelata) rostrata Peale; G.R. Gray 1859, Cat. Birds Tropical Is Pacific Ocean: 56.

Aestrelata rostrata (Peale); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 144.

Oestrelata rostrata (Peale); Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 404.

Pterodroma rostrata (Peale); R. Murphy 1928, American Mus. Novit. 322: 1.

Bulweria rostrata (Peale); Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 156.

Pterodroma rostrata rostrata (Peale); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 69.

Pseudobulweria rostrata (Peale); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 35.

South Pacific Ocean, breeding in New Caledonia (in mountains on the main island and on at least 12 small islets in the southern lagoon), Fiji (Taveuni, Gau), American Samoa (Ta’u, Tutuila, and possibly Olosega), Society Islands (Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea), Marquesas Islands (Hiva-Oa, Tahuata, Nuku Hiva), and the Gambier Islands; possibly also in Tonga and the Cook and Austral Islands (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Thibault & Rives 1988; Plant et al. 1989; Bretagnolle et al. 1998; Watling 2001; Villard et al. 2006). Ranges in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean from near Taiwan to north-east Australia and east to between Mexico and Perú; has reached the north-east Indian Ocean also (Pitman 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Spear et al. 1992). Five northern New Zealand records in 1988: one beach-washed near Dargaville in Jun.; two live near Whakaari / White Island in Jul., and singles near the Aldermen Islands and east of the Poor Knights Islands in Aug. (Guest & Bell 1989; Powlesland & Pickard 1992; Checklist Committee 2010). A few have been seen off Norfolk Island (J. Moore 1999). Bretagnolle et al. (1998) recognised three subspecies: Ps. r. rostrata (South Pacific), Ps. r. trouessarti (Brazil, 1917) (New Caledonia) and Ps. r. becki (Murphy, 1928) (south-west Pacific). We follow R. Murphy (1928), M. Brooke (2004), Onley & Scofield (2007) and Shirihai (2008) in recognising Ps. becki as a full species. The subspecies of Ps. rostrata occurring in the New Zealand region has not been determined.

Genus Calonectris Mathews & Iredale

Calonectris Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 592 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria leucomelas Temminck = Calonectris leucomelas (Temminck).

➤ Calonectris borealis (Cory)
Cory’s Shearwater

Puffinus borealis Cory, 1881: Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club 6: 84 – off Chatham Island, Massachusetts, USA.

Puffinus kuhli (Boie); Godman 1907, Monograph Petrels 1: 94, pl. 26. In part.

Puffinus kuhli fortunatus Bannerman, 1915: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 35: 120 – Isla Graciosa, Canary Islands, Spain.

Puffinus kuhli borealis Cory; Oliver 1934, Emu 34: 24.

Ardenna diomedea borealis (Cory); Mathews 1944, Emu 43: 243.

Puffinus kuhlii borealis Cory; Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Zool. Series, Field Mus. Nat. History 13(1) no 2: 63. Unjustified emendation.

Puffinus diomedea borealis Cory; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 22.

Calonectris diomedea borealis (Cory); Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 26.

Calonectris borealis (Cory); Sangster et al. 1999, Ardea 87: 146.

Breeds on north-east Atlantic islands: Berlengas (off Portugal), Madeira, Porto Santo, Desertas, Selvagens, Azores, and Canary Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Ranges extensively in the North Atlantic Ocean and migrates south to South American and southern African seas, and south-west Indian Ocean (Jouanin et al. 1977; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Camphuysen & van der Meer 2001). One New Zealand record: Foxton Beach, Jan. 1934 (Oliver 1934). Formerly treated as a subspecies of the North Atlantic shearwater Calonectris diomedea (Scopoli, 1769), but we follow Sangster et al. (1999) in recognising Cory’s shearwater as a full species.

➤ Calonectris leucomelas (Temminck)
Streaked Shearwater

Procellaria leucomelas Temminck, 1836: Nouv. Recueil Planch. Color. d’Oiseaux 99: pl. 587 – Nagasaki Bay and seas of Japan.

Puffinus leucomelas (Temminck); Godman 1907, Monograph Petrels 1: 72, pl. 21.

Calonectris leucomelas (Temminck); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Breeds in the north-west Pacific, mainly on Japanese islands from southern Hokkaido in the north to the Ryukyus in the south; also on Chinese, Korean, and south-east Russian islands; its at-sea range during the breeding season is concentrated off the breeding islands in pelagic and inshore waters (Kuroda 1991; M. Brooke 2004). In the non-breeding season (roughly Nov. to Apr.), moves south, concentrating north of New Guinea and regularly reaching northern Australian waters (Marchant & Higgins 1990; M. Brooke 2004). Straggles further west into the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, also across the Pacific to the Hawai’ian Islands and California, and rarely to south-east Australia (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Marchant & Higgins 1990; M. Brooke 2004). One New Zealand record: Kawhia Beach, Feb. 2006 (Scofield, Christie et al. 2010). The year of Temminck’s description of Procellaria leucomelas was clarified by Dickinson (2001).

Genus Ardenna Reichenbach

Ardenna Reichenbach, 1853: Hand. Spec. Ornith. 3: iv – Type species (by original designation and monotypy) Puffinus major (Faber) = Ardenna gravis (O’Reilly).

Thyellodroma Stejneger, 1888: Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 11: 93 – Type species (by original designation) Puffinus sphenurus Gould = Ardenna chlororhynchus (Lesson).

Zalias Heine & Reichenow, 1890: Nom. Mus. Hein. Ornith.: 362 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Puffinus chlororhynchus Lesson = Ardenna chlororhynchus (Lesson).

Neonectris Mathews, 1913: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 12 – Type species (by original designation) Puffinus brevicaudus Gould = Ardenna tenuirostris (Temminck).

Hemipuffinus Iredale, 1913: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 20 – Type species (by original designation) Puffinus carneipes Gould = Ardenna carneipes (Gould).

Paranectris Iredale, 1930: Australian Zool. 6(2): 115 – Type species (by original designation) Procellaria grisea Gmelin = Ardenna grisea (Gmelin).

We follow Chesser et al. (2016) in placing the larger species of shearwaters in genus Ardenna (rather than Puffinus) based on genetic evidence that shearwaters form two deeply divergent clades that may not be sister groups (Penhallurick & Wink 2004; Austin et al. 2004; Pyle et al. 2011). Genus Ardenna should be inserted after genus Calonectris. Species sequence follows Pyle et al. (2011).

➤ Ardenna pacifica (Gmelin)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Breeds on islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, mainly between 30°N and 30°S, and ranges widely in adjacent seas (Jouanin & Mougin 1979). Some subtropical populations migrate transequatorially (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Twenty have been beach-wrecked on North Island coasts, and one banded bird was recovered in Cook Strait; all between Oct. and Jun. (W. King 1974; Veitch 1981; Powlesland 1983, 1985, 1989b; Powlesland & Powlesland 1994b; G. Taylor 1996, 2004; Medway 2000a; L. Howell & Esler 2007). Two subspecies are accepted here; both occur in the New Zealand region but the subspecific identities of most specimens and sightings off mainland New Zealand have not been determined.

Ardenna pacifica pacifica (Gmelin)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Procellaria pacifica Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 560. Based on the “Pacific Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 416 – Pacific Ocean, restricted to Kermadec Islands (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 80).

Puffinus pacificus (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1844, Gen. Birds 3: 647.

Nectris fuliginosus G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 647 (ex Solander MS) – no locality = Antarctic and Pacific Oceans (fide Salvin 1876, in Rowley’s Ornith. Miscellany 1: 231). Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Puffinus chlororhynchus iredali Mathews, 1910: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 27: 40 – Sunday [= Raoul] Island, Kermadec Islands.

Thyellodroma pacifica pacifica (Gmelin); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 319.

Thyellodroma pacifica (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Puffinus pacificus whitneyi Lowe, 1925: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 45: 106 – Kadavu, Fiji Islands.

Thyellodroma pacifica whitneyi (Lowe); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 113.

Puffinus pacificus pacificus (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 20.

Puffinus (Thyellodroma) pacificus pacificus (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 24.

Puffinus pacifus; Anderson 1996, Int. Journ. Osteoarchaeology 6: 408. Misspelling.

Ardenna pacifica (Gmelin); Christidis & Boles 2008, Syst. Taxon. Australian Birds: 18, 96. In part.

Breeds on Kermadec / Rangitāhua, Norfolk, Fijian (Kadavu, Mamanuca, Yasawa groups, and other islets), and Tongan Islands (J. Jenkins 1979, 1986; H.D. Pratt et al. 1987; Veitch et al. 2004; Waugh et al. 2013). From Oct. to May, (probably this subspecies) ranges widely in adjacent seas south to about 34°S (J. Jenkins 1979, 1986); about eight mainland New Zealand beach-wrecks assumed to be this subspecies (Checklist Committee 1990). Live records from east of Cape Karikari in Jan. 2012 (Miskelly et al. 2013), east of Poor Knights Islands in Feb. 2020 and Dec. 2022, and outer Bay of Plenty, Mar. 2021 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023). Apparently migrates to the south-eastern North Pacific Ocean (J. Jenkins 1979).

Ardenna pacifica chlororhyncha (Lesson)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Puffinus chlororhynchus Lesson, 1831: Traité d’Ornith. 8: 613 – no locality = Shark Bay, Western Australia (fide Pucheran 1850, Revue Zool.: 633).

Puffinus sphenurus Gould, 1844: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 365 – Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia.

Thiellus sphenurus (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 201.

Thiellus chlororhynchus (Lesson); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 201.

Procellaria chlororhyncha (Lesson); Schlegel 1863, Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 25.

Procellaria sphenura (Gould); Schlegel 1863, Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 25.

Puffinus cuneatus Salvin, 1888: Ibis 6 (5th series): 353 – “Insulis Krusenstern” (mythical islands designated by the collector, H.J. Snow) = one of the Leeward Hawai’ian Islands, Pacific Ocean (fide R. Murphy 1951, American Mus. Novit. 1512: 18).

Puffinus knudseni Stejneger, 1888: Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 11: 93 – Hawai’ian Islands, Pacific Ocean.

Puffinus pacificus hamiltoni Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 82 – The Cousin, Seychelles Islands.

Puffinus pacificus alleni Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 83 – San Benedicto, Revillagigedo Islands, Pacific Ocean.

Puffinus pacificus laysani Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 83 – Laysan Island.

Puffinus pacificus royanus Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 85, pl. 75 – Bondi Beach, New South Wales, Australia.

Thyellodroma pacifica royana (Mathews); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 34.

Thyellodroma cuneata (Salvin); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Thyellodroma cuneata cuneata (Salvin); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 113.

Thyellodroma cuneata knudseni (Stejneger); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 113.

Thyellodroma cuneata laysani (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 114.

Thyellodroma pacifica chlororhyncha (Lesson); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 186.

Thyellodroma pacifica hamiltoni (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 186.

Thyellodroma pacifica alleni (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 186.

Thyellodroma pacifica cuneata (Salvin); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 186.

Puffinus pacificus cuneatus Salvin; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 27.

Puffinus pacificus chlororhynchus Lesson; Checklist Committee 1980, Notornis (Suppl.) 27: 11.

Puffinus (Thyellodroma) pacificus chlororhynchus Lesson; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 24.

Ardenna pacifica (Gmelin); Christidis & Boles 2008, Syst. Taxon. Australian birds: 18, 96. In part.

Ardenna pacifica chlororhyncha (Lesson); Dickinson & Remsen 2013, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 1: 179.

Breeds on many islands of the tropical and subtropical Indian and Pacific Oceans, including Australian islands and Lord Howe Island, and ranges widely in adjacent seas (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Pandolfi Benoit & Bretagnolle 2002). Some populations relatively sedentary, but some western Australian birds probably migrate to the north Indian Ocean, and south-east Australian birds migrate to the western North Pacific (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Vagrant to New Zealand: Makara Beach, Jan. 1962 (Falla 1962b); Otaki Beach, Jun. 1962 (Crockett 1975a; Checklist Committee 1980); a banded adult from Johnston Atoll found in Cook Strait, Nov. 1965 (W. King 1974; Amerson & Shelton 1976); Taranaki, Sep. 1983 (Checklist Committee 1990).

➤ Ardenna bulleri (Salvin)
Buller’s Shearwater | Rako

Puffinus bulleri Salvin, 1888: Ibis 6 (5th series): 354 – New Zealand, restricted to Waikanae Beach, Wellington (fide Buller 1888 (Nov.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 11): 240).

Puffinus zealandicus Sandager, 1890: Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 22: 291 – Mokohinau Islands.

Thyellodroma bulleri (Salvin); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Thyellobroma [sic] pacifica bulleri (Salvin); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 186.

Puffinus bulleri Salvin; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 21.

Puffinus (Thyellodroma) bulleri Salvin; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 25.

Ardenna bulleri (Salvin); Christidis & Boles 2008, Syst. Taxon. Australian Birds: 18, 96.

Breeds on seven of the 12 Poor Knights Islands (including Tawhiti Rahi, Motu Kapiti, Aorangi, and Archway; P. Harper 1983; G. Taylor & Parrish 1992; Friesen et al. 2021). Single nests found on Motu Purihi Island (Simmonds Islands) in 1990 (Parrish & Waddell 1991), and on Lady Alice Island / Mauimua in Jan. 2019 (P. Crowe et al. 2021). Recorded prospecting at Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands (P. Harper & Imber 1985; Checklist Committee 1990). Live birds recorded ashore on Rangatira Island, Chathams (Miskelly et al. 2006), and Montague and Cabbage Tree Islands, New South Wales, Australia (Serventy et al. 1971, Priddel & Carlile 2004b). During the breeding season, ranges throughout New Zealand seas, reaching west to eastern Australia, east to the Chatham Islands and south to the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (J. Jenkins 1988; Tennyson & Taylor 1989; Freeman 1992; Imber 1994; Esler 2001; Miskelly et al. 2006; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Migrates to the North Pacific, ranging from Japan to Alaska and California, with immatures reaching seas off the west coast of South America (Lovegrove 1978; Nakamura & Hasegawa 1979; Guzman & Myres 1983; Wahl 1985; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Everett & Pitman 1993; Gould et al. 1998). Natural deposit and midden records from the North Island and Chatham Island (Bourne 1967; Millener 1991). Holocene remains from the South Island (Checklist Committee 1990; Millener 1991) are doubtful (Holdaway et al. 2001).

➤ Ardenna tenuirostris (Temminck)
Short-tailed Shearwater

Procellaria tenuirostris Temminck, 1836: Nouv. Recueil Planch. Color. d’Oiseaux 99: text to pl. 587 – seas north of Japan and shores of Korea.

Puffinus brevicaudus Gould, 1847: Birds of Australia 7: pl. 56 – islands of Bass Strait, Australia.

Priofinus brevicaudus (Brandt) [sic]; Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 769.

Nectris brevicaudus (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 201.

Nectris tenuirostris (Temminck); Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 202.

Nectris curilica Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 202 – Kamchatka, Russia.

Nectris brevicauda (Gould); Coues 1864, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 127. Unjustified emendation.

Puffinus brevicaudatus Brandt [sic]; Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 371. Unjustified emendation.

Puffinus tenuirostris (Temminck); Buller 1888 (Nov.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 11): 230.

Puffinus intermedius Hull, 1911: Emu 11: 98 – Cabbage Tree Island, New South Wales, Australia.

Puffinus tenuirostris brevicauda [sic] (Gould); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 228.

Neonectris tenuirostris tenuirostris (Temminck); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 34.

Neonectris tenuirostris brevicaudus (Gould); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 35.

Neonectris tenuirostris intermedius (Hull); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 35.

Neonectris tenuirostris (Temminck); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Neonectris tenuirostris grantianus Hull, 1916: Emu 15: 206 – Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia.

Neonectris tenuirostris hulli Mathews, 1916: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 36: 82 – Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

Puffinus (Puffinus) tenuirostris (Temminck); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 27.

Ardenna tenuirostris (Temminck); Christidis & Boles 2008, Syst. Taxon. Australian Birds: 18, 96.

Breeds on islands off southern Australia from Western Australia to New South Wales, on Bass Strait islands and on the coast of Tasmania and adjacent islands (Serventy et al. 1971; Naarding 1980; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Ranges south to the edge of the pack-ice (Naarding 1980; Kerry et al. 1983; Skira 1986; Nicholls et al. 1998). Migrates to the North Pacific, sometimes north of the Bering Strait; probably also a migrant to the north Indian Ocean (Guzman & Myres 1983; S. Lane 1983; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991; Skira 1991). Often found along mainland New Zealand coasts from Oct. to Jan. and in May (Powlesland & Pickard 1992). Straggler to Kermadec / Rangitāhua, Chatham, Auckland / Maukahuka, Campbell / Motu Ihupuku and Macquarie Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Imber 1994; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). The year of Temminck’s description of Procellaria tenuirostris was clarified by Dickinson (2001). Natural deposit and midden records from North, South, and Chatham Islands (Scarlett 1976b; Millener 1991).

➤ Ardenna grisea (Gmelin)
Sooty Shearwater | Tītī*

Procellaria grisea Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 564. Based on the “Grey Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 399 – between 35°S and 50°S = New Zealand (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 95).

Nectris fuliginosa Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 148 (ex Banks MS) – 48°27’S, 93°W. Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Daption griseum (Gmelin); Stephens 1826, in Shaw, General Zool. 13(1): 246.

Puffinus fuliginosus Strickland, 1832: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1832 (2): 129 – mouth of the Tees, England. Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Puffinus cinereus; Darwin 1841, Zool. Beagle, 3 Birds: 137. Not Procellaria cinerea Gmelin, 1789.

Procellaria tristis J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 205 – New Zealand.

Procellaria fuliginosa J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 205 – New Zealand. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789 and of Procellaria fuliginosa J.R. Forster, 1844: 23 = nomen dubium.

Puffinus major; G.R. Gray 1845, in Richardson & J.E. Gray (Eds), Zool. Voy. ‘Erebus’ & ‘Terror’, Birds 1(3): 17. Not Procellaria major Faber, 1822.

Nectris fuliginosus (Strickland); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 201. Not Procellaria fuliginosa Gmelin, 1789.

Nectris fuliginosus chilensis Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 202 – Chile.

Nectris curilica Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 202 – Chile.

Nectris gama Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 202. Based on bird in A. Smith 1840, Illust. Zool. South Africa, Aves 2: pl. 56 – “Afr. m. et or. Cap. B. Spei. Madag. Pacif.”, restricted to “off Chile” (fide Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 26).

Puffinus tristis (J.R. Forster); G.R. Gray 1862, Ibis 4: 244.

Nectris amaurosoma Coues, 1864: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 124 – Cape St. Lucas, Lower California, USA.

Puffinus amaurosoma (Coues); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 102.

Puffinus (Puffinus) tristis (J.R. Forster); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 103.

Puffinus stricklandi Ridgway, 1884: in Baird, Brewer & Ridgway, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. 13: 390 – North Pacific Ocean.

Puffinus griseus (Gmelin); Buller 1888 (Nov.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 11): 232.

Puffinus (Nectris) fuliginosus var. chilensis; Oustalet 1891, Mission Scient. Cap Horn 6 Zoologie (B): 162.

Neonectris griseus griseus (Gmelin); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 34.

Puffinus griseus griseus (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 227.

Neonectris griseus (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Neonectris griseus pescadoresi Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 602 – Pescadores Islands, Taiwan.

Neonectris griseus missus Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 603 – Kurile Islands, Pacific Ocean.

Neonectris griseus nutcheri Mathews, 1916: Austral Avian Rec. 3: 54 – Bondi Beach, New South Wales, Australia.

Puffinus griseus chilensis; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 121.

Puffinus (Neonectris) griseus (Gmelin); Mathews 1934, Ibis 4 (13th series): 176.

Paranectris griseus griseus (Gmelin); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 184.

Paranectris griseus chilensis (Bonaparte); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 185.

Paranectris griseus stricklandi (Ridgway); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 185.

Paranectris griseus; Mathews 1936, Emu 36: 96.

Puffinus (Puffinus) griseus (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 26.

Ardenna grisea (Gmelin); Christidis & Boles 2008, Syst. Taxon. Australian Birds: 18, 96.

Puffinus grisea; Johnston & Mitchell 2021, Diversity 13, 538: 13. Unjustified emendation.

Breeds on Chilean islands (near Chiloé, on Guafo, Guamblin, Ildefonso, Sesambre, Wollaston, Hermite, and Diego Ramírez; Warham et al. 1982; G. Clark et al. 1984, 1992; Reyes-Arriagada et al. 2007), Kidney Island, Falkland Islands (Croxall et al. 1984), Tristan da Cunha (Ryan 2007) and c. 17 islands off Tasmania and New South Wales (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Also breeds at numerous coastal localities in the New Zealand region as follows. North Island: on Manawatāwhi / Three Kings, Motuopao, Cavalli, Poor Knights, Hen and Chickens, Mokohinau, Cuvier / Repanga, Mercury, The Aldermen, Whakaari / White, Moutuotau, Rurima, Motuhora / Whale, East / Whangaokeno, Kauwahaia, Motumahanga / Saddleback, Kapiti, and Mana Islands (Moors 1980; P. Harper 1983; G. Taylor & White 1990; Parrish et al. 1991; G. Taylor et al. 1991; G. Taylor 1992; S. Hamilton et al. 1997; arrish & Lock 1997P; Waugh et al. 2013). South Island: in Golden Bay, on Stephens / Takapourewa, Motuanauru, Otuhaereroa, Trio / Kuru Pongi, Titi, Motuara, Long (Marlborough Sounds), Glasgow, Seal (West Coast), Open Bay, Motunau (Canterbury), Island Bay (off Banks Peninsula) Islands, at 111 sites in Fiordland, and on several islands off Otago and in Foveaux Strait; also on several headlands at Banks Peninsula, Otago and the West Coast (D. Brown 1991; O’Donnell & West 1989, 1996; Challies & Langlands 1992; Langlands 1995; S. Hamilton et al. 1997; Gaze 2000; Pollock 2005; Waugh et al. 2013; Miskelly, Bishop et al. 2021). Further south, breeds on the Solander Islands, on Stewart Island / Rakiura and almost all adjacent islands, on Snares Islands / Tini Heke, Antipodes, Campbell / Motu Ihupuku, Auckland / Maukahuka, and Macquarie Islands; also on the Chatham Islands (S. Hamilton et al. 1997; Waugh et al. 2013). Ranges south to 67°S (Watson et al. 1971; Marchant & Higgins 1990). The majority of birds from New Zealand migrate to the North Pacific from about 35°N to the Bering Sea (J. Phillips 1963; Guzman & Myres 1983; Briggs & Chu 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991) but one has been tracked into the South Atlantic (Shaffer et al. 2007). Common, both as Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and in middens, from North, South, Chatham, and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Millener 1991; Anderson 2005; Tennyson 2020a).

*Also used for other petrel species including grey-faced petrel Pterodroma gouldi and Cook’s petrel Pt. cookii.

➤ Ardenna gravis (O’Reilly)
Great Shearwater

Procellaria Gravis O’Reilly, 1818: Greenland Adjacent Seas North-west Passage: 121, pl. 12, fig. 1 – seas off Cape Farewell and Staten Hook, Greenland, to Newfoundland, Canada.

Puffinus gravis (O’Reilly); Godman 1907, Monograph Petrels 1: 90, pl. 25.

Ardenna gravis (O’Reilly); Mathews & Iredale 1915, Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Puffinus gravis (O’Reilly); Jenkins 1968, Notornis 15: 214.

Puffinus gravis (O’Reilly); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 231.

Breeds on Inaccessible, Nightingale, and Gough Islands, and possibly still Tristan da Cunha; also a small colony on Kidney Island, Falkland Islands (Rowan 1952; Jouanin & Mougin 1979; M. Brooke 2004). Its at-sea range during the breeding season is mainly the South Atlantic Ocean and south-west Indian Ocean (Marchant & Higgins 1990). In the non-breeding season (Apr. to Sep.), migrates to the North Atlantic, reaching the Grand Banks, Western Europe, and the Arctic Circle (Voous & Wattel 1963; R. Brown et al. 1975; R. Brown 1977; Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Powers 1983; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Non-breeders appear to disperse far south off eastern South America, with records west of the Strait of Magellan (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Marchant & Higgins 1990). Rare straggler to Californian and Australian waters (Marchant & Higgins 1990) and eastern Indian Ocean (Fromant et al. 2018). New Zealand sightings include five dubious records in 1967–68 (J. Jenkins 1968; Bourne 1971) and ten accepted records of single birds 2006–13: east of Pitt Island, Chatham Islands, Dec. 2006 (Scofield 2008); off Taiaroa Head, Otago, Oct. 2008 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2017); off Kaikoura, Feb. 2010 (Miskelly et al. 2011); near Edwards Island, Foveaux Strait; south-east of Stewart Island / Rakiura; off Puysegur Point, Fiordland; off Otago Peninsula; and east of the Poor Knights Islands (all five records in Apr. 2011; Miskelly et al. 2013; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2021, 2023); off Canterbury Bight, Nov. 2011 (Miskelly et al. 2013); and off Mayor Island, Nov. 2013 (Miskelly et al. 2015).

➤ Ardenna creatopus (Coues)
Pink-footed Shearwater

Puffinus creatopus Coues, 1864: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad.: 131 – San Nicolas Island, California., USA.

Puffinus (?) melanoleucus Philippi, 1902: Anales Mus. Nac. Chile 15: 93, pl. 41 – Corral, Chile.

Ardenna creatopa [sic] (Coues); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Puffinus carneipes creatopus Coues; Bourne 1962, in Palmer, Handb. North Amer. Birds: 161.

Puffinus (Ardenna) creatopus Coues; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 23.

Ardenna creatopus (Coues); Christidis & Boles 2008, Syst. Taxon. Australian Birds: 18, 96.

Breeds on three Chilean islands: Isla Robinson Crusoe (= Masatierra Island) and Isla Santa Clara (both in the Juan Fernández group), and on Mocha Island (R. Murphy 1936; BirdLife International 2000; M. Brooke 2004). Migrates to the eastern North Pacific, wandering as far as the Bering Sea, Hawai’i, and Kiribati (Guzman & Myres 1983; Pitman 1986; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991). Very rare in the south-west Pacific; one Australian record Mar. 1986 off New South Wales. Nine New Zealand records: at least two birds in outer Canterbury Bight, Jun. 1979 (Tunnicliffe 1982, 1984); singles off Kaikoura, Jan. 1994, Dec. 1998, Feb. 1999, Dec. 2001, Jan. 2003, Feb. 2018 (Medway 2000a, 2001a, 2003b; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2019, 2021); east of Stewart Island / Rakiura, Nov. 2018 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2021); and east of Poor Knights Islands, Jul. 2021 (Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023).

➤ Ardenna carneipes (Gould)
Flesh-footed Shearwater | Toanui

Puffinus carneipes Gould, 1844 (Jan.): Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 365 – seas bounding the western coast of Australia and breeding on islands off Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia (fide McAllan 2004, Notornis 51: 126).

Puffinus carnipes Gould; G.R. Gray 1844 (Jul.); Gen. Birds 3: 647. Unjustified emendation.

Puffinus carbonaria G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 647 (ex Solander MS) – no locality = off Three Kings Islands (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 91).

Majaqueus carneipes (Gould); Reichenbach 1852, Vollst. Naturg. Schwim. Aves Natatores: pl. 14, fig. 2601.

Priofinus carneipes (Gould); Bonaparte 1856, Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 42: 769.

Nectris carneipes (Gould); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 201.

Puffinus carneipes Gould; Buller 1888 (Nov.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 11): 234.

Puffinus carneipes hullianus Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 90 – Norfolk Island, error for Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea (fide Mathews & Iredale, 1921: Man. Birds of Australia: 29).

Puffinus carneipes hakodate Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 90 – seas off Japan.

Puffinus carneipes carbonarius Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 90 (ex Solander MS) – off Three Kings Islands. Junior primary homonym of Puffinus carbonaria G.R. Gray, 1844.

Nectris carbonaria Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 91 (ex Solander MS) – off Three Kings Islands. Junior secondary homonym of Puffinus carbonaria G.R. Gray, 1844.

Hemipuffinus carneipes carneipes (Gould); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 34.

Hemipuffinus carneipes hullianus (Mathews); Mathews 1913, List Birds Australia: 319.

Hemipuffinus carneipes (Gould); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Hemipuffinus carneipes hakodate (Mathews); Mathews & Iredale, 1921: Man. Birds of Australia: 29.

Hemipuffinus carneipes carbonarius (Mathews); Mathews & Iredale, 1921: Man. Birds of Australia: 29. Junior secondary homonym of Puffinus carbonaria G.R. Gray, 1844.

Puffinus carneipes zealandicus Mathews, 1926: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 46: 76. Unnecessary nomen novum for Puffinus carneipes carbonarius Mathews, 1912.

Puffinus carneipes neozealandicus Mathews, 1926: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 46: 93. Unnecessary nomen novum for Puffinus carneipes zealandicus Mathews, 1926.

Hemipuffinus carneipes neozealandicus (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 114.

Puffinus (Ardenna) carneipes Gould; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 23.

Ardenna carneipes (Gould); Christidis & Boles 2008, Syst. Taxon. Australian Birds: 18, 96.

Breeds on St Paul Island (Indian Ocean), on many islands off the south coast of Western Australia from Cape Hamelin to the Recherche Archipelago, Smith Island (South Australia), and Lord Howe Island (Marchant & Higgins 1990). In New Zealand breeds on islands off the North Island and in Cook Strait: Hen and Chickens group (particularly Lady Alice and Coppermine), Mercury Islands, Ohinau Island, The Aldermen, Karewa, East (Whangaokeno), Kauwahaia, Motumahanga (Saddleback), Trio (Kuru Pongi), and Titi Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor & Parrish 1991; Waugh et al. 2013). In New Zealand seas ranges mainly over the North Island continental shelf and slope but reaches south as far as Fiordland (A. Rowe & Rowe 2001), Foveaux Strait (Imber 1985a), Banks Peninsula (Langlands 1994), and east to the Chatham Islands (e.g. R. Murphy 1930; Freeman 1992; Imber 1994). Vagrant at Norfolk Island (Marchant & Higgins 1990; McAllan 2000). Western populations migrate north-west to the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman and probably also into the Pacific (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Eastern (Lord Howe Island and New Zealand) birds migrate to the North Pacific, mainly to seas off Korea and Japan but also across to the west coast of North America (Hindwood 1945; Guzman & Myres 1983; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Kuroda 1991); vagrant in the south-east Pacific (R. Murphy 1930). Holocene bones and midden records from North Island and Chatham Island dunes (Millener 1991).

Genus Puffinus Brisson

Puffinus Brisson, 1760: Ornithologie 1: 56, 6: 129 – Type species (by tautonymy) Puffinus = Procellaria puffinus Brünnich = Puffinus puffinus (Brünnich).

Nectris Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 146 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Procellaria puffinus Brünnich = Puffinus puffinus (Brünnich).

Thyellas Gloger, 1827: Froriep’s Notiz.: 279. Unnecessary nomen novum for Puffinus Brisson, 1760.

Rhipornis Billberg, 1828: Synop. Faun. Scand. 1: tab. A. Unnecessary nomen novum for Puffinus Brisson, 1760.

Cymotomus Macgillivray, 1842: Man. Brit. Ornith. 2: 13 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria puffinus Brünnich = Puffinus puffinus (Brünnich).

Thiellus Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 200. Unjustified emendation.

Reinholdia Mathews, 1912: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 107 – Type species (by original designation) Puffinus reinholdi Mathews = Puffinus gavia (J.R. Forster).

Alphapuffinus Mathews, 1914: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 110 – Type species (by original designation) Puffinus assimilis Gould.

Microzalias Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 597 – Type species (by original designation) Puffinus nativitatis Streets.

Cinathisma Hull, 1916: Emu 15: 205 – Type species (by monotypy) Cinathisma cyaneoleuca Hull = Puffinus gavia (J.R. Forster).

➤ Puffinus nativitatis Streets
Christmas Island Shearwater

Puffinus (Nectris) nativitatis Streets, 1877: Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 7: 29 – Christmas Island, Pacific Ocean.

Puffinus nativitatis Streets; Salvin 1896, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 389.

Microzalias nativitatis (Streets); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 185.

Puffinus (Puffinus) nativitatis Streets; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 27.

Breeds on Marshall, Johnston, Hawai’ian, Phoenix, Line, Marquesas, Tuamotu, Samoan (possibly), Austral, Gambier, Oeno, Henderson, Ducie, and Easter Islands, and Isla Salas y Gómez (H.D. Pratt et al. 1987; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor & Tennyson 1994). Not known to migrate, but pelagic distribution poorly understood (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Two New Zealand records: one dead on Dargaville Beach, Feb. 1976 (Crockett 1977); one live on Curtis Island, Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua, Nov. 1989 (G. Taylor & Tennyson 1994).

Dickinson & Remsen (2013: 179) used the common name “Christmas shearwater“ but were incorrect in stating that the bird was named after the date of discovery; it was collected on Christmas Island [now Kiritimati] in Jan. 1874 (Christopher Milensky, Smithsonian Institution, pers. comm. 2016), therefore “Christmas Island” shearwater remains an appropriate name.

➤ Puffinus auricularis Townsend
Townsend’s Shearwater

Puffinus auricularis C.H. Townsend, 1890: Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 13: 133 – Clarion Island (Isla Clarión), Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico.

We follow Dickinson & Remsen (2013) and Martínez-Gómez et al. (2015) in treating Newell’s shearwater as a subspecies of Puffinus auricularis.

Puffinus auricularis newelli Henshaw
Newell’s Shearwater

Puffinus newelli Henshaw, 1900: Auk 17: 246 – Waihee Valley, Ulani [= Maui Island], Hawai’ian Islands, Pacific Ocean.

Puffinus puffinus newelli Henshaw; Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 179.

Puffinus auricularis newelli Henshaw; Jehl 1982, Le Gerfaut 72: 130.

Puffinus newelli Henshaw; G. Taylor 1996, Notornis 43: 188.

Breeds at the Hawai’ian group; thought to be migratory in the north-central Pacific Ocean (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; Pitman 1986). One dead on Dargaville Beach, Nov. 1994 (G. Taylor 1996; Palma 1999) is the only record from New Zealand. One was ashore on Philip Island, Norfolk Island group, Dec. 1997 (J. Moore 1999).

➤ Puffinus puffinus (Brünnich)
Manx Shearwater

Procellaria Puffinus Brünnich, 1764: Ornith. Borealis: 29 – Faroe Islands and Norway.

Procellaria Anglorum Temminck, 1820: Manuel d’Ornith., 2nd edition. 2: 806 – St Kilda, Scotland.

Puffinus arcticus Faber, 1822: Prodromus Isländischen Ornith.: 56. Unnecessary nomen novum for Puffinus anglorum Temminck, 1820.

Puffinus scotorum Partington, 1837: British Cyclopaedia Nat. Hist. 3: 429. Unnecessary nomen novum for Puffinus anglorum Temminck, 1820.

Puffinus anglorum (Temminck); Bonaparte 1857, Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 203.

Puffinus manksii Coues, 1864: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 16: 125. Unnecessary nomen novum for Puffinus anglorum Temminck, 1820.

Puffinus puffinus bermudae Nichols & Mowbray, 1916: Auk 33: 195 – Bermuda, Atlantic Ocean.

Puffinus mcgalli Shufeldt, 1916: Ibis 4 (10th series): 630 – Bermuda, Atlantic Ocean.

Puffinus puffinus puffinus (Brünnich); Kinsky & Fowler 1973, Notornis 20: 14.

Puffinus (Puffinus) puffinus puffinus (Brünnich); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 28.

Puffinus puffinus (Brünnich); C. Walker et al. 1990, Historical Biology 3: 220.

Breeds in the North Atlantic on islands off Newfoundland, Iceland, the British Isles, and Brittany, and on the Faeroes, Azores, and Madeira Islands (Jouanin & Mougin 1979; M. Brooke 1990; Olson 2004). Migrates mainly to seas off Brazil and Argentina; reaches southern Africa, and recorded in the eastern Pacific with increasing frequency; straggles to Australasia (Sinclair & Rose 1982; M. Brooke 1990; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Mlodinow 2004). Three New Zealand records (all beach-wrecked): Pukerua Bay, Jun. 1972 (Kinsky & Fowler 1973); Waikanae Beach, Jan. 1985 (Tennyson 1986); and Otaki Beach, Jul. 2002 (NMNZ OR.027328). Considered monotypic, following C. Walker et al. (1990), del Hoyo et al. (1992), Sangster et al. (1999), and Sangster, Collinson et al. (2002).

➤ Puffinus gavia (J.R. Forster)
Fluttering Shearwater | Pakahā

Procellaria gavia J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 148 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough.

Aestrelata gavia (J.R. Forster); Coues 1866, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 18: 154.

Puffinus ?obscurus; Hutton 1869, Ibis 5 (new series): 352. Not Procellaria obscura Gmelin, 1788.

?Puffinus opisthomelas; Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 371. Not Puffinus opisthomelas Coues, 1864.

Fulmarus (Cookilaria) gavia (J.R. Forster); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 107.

Puffinus opisthomelas; Hutton 1872, Ibis 2 (3rd series): 84. Not Puffinus opisthomelas Coues, 1864.

Puffinus gavius (J.R. Forster); Buller 1873 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 5): 318. Unjustified emendation.

Puffinus gavia (J.R. Forster); Buller 1888 (Nov.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 11): 236.

Puffinus obscurus; Buller 1888 (Nov.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 2nd edition 2 (part 11): 238. Not Procellaria obscura Gmelin, 1788.

Puffinus reinholdi reinholdi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 47 (key), 74, pl. 74 – New Zealand and east Australian seas.

Reinholdia reinholdi byroni Mathews, 1913: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 187 – “Byron Bay”, New South Wales, error for Five Islands, New South Wales, Australia (fide Mathews 1916, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 36: 89).

Reinholdia reinholdi reinholdi (Mathews); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 225.

Puffinus assimilis gavia (J.R. Forster); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 226.

Reinholdia reinholdi (Mathews); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Cinathisma cyaneoleuca Hull, 1916: Emu 15: 205, pl. 32 – Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia.

Reinholdia reinholdi melanotis Mathews, 1916: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 36: 89 – “Kaipara Beach, near Helensville, Waitemata County”, error for Muriwai Beach, near Helensville, Waitemata County (fide Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 28).

Reinholdia reinholdi montaguei Mathews, 1922: Austral Avian Rec. 5: 2 – New Caledonia.

Reinholdia gavia gavia (J.R. Forster); Mathews 1922, Austral Avian Rec. 5: 2.

Reinholdia gavia byroni Mathews; Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 112.

Reinholdia gavia montaguei Mathews; Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 112.

Puffinus gavia byroni (Mathews); Falla 1934, Rec. Auck. Inst. Museum 1: 252.

Puffinus puffinus gavia (J.R. Forster); R. Murphy 1952, American Museum Novit. 1586: 15.

Puffinus gavia gavia (J.R. Forster); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 21.

Puffinus (Puffinus) gavia (J.R. Forster); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 28.

Breeds only on New Zealand offshore islands: Manawatāwhi / Three Kings, Motuopao, Wekarua, Motu Purihi (in the Simmonds Islands), Moturoa, Stephenson / Mahinepua, Cavalli, Poor Knights, Bream, Hen and Chickens, Mokohinau, Hauturu / Little Barrier (formerly), Lots Wife, Saddle and stack off Opakau (both off Great Barrier Island / Aotea), Channel, Little Tiri, Maria, Horuhoru / Gannet Rock, Mercury, The Aldermen, Slipper / Whakau, Motunau / Plate, Taumaihi, Rurima, Moutohora / Whale Island, East / Whangaokeno, Moturipa, Motuheka, Taranaki coast islands, Stephens / Takapourewa, Trio / Kuru Pongi, and Chetwode Islands; also on islands in Queen Charlotte Sound and off the east coast of Marlborough (Falla 1934; Moors 1980; Medway 1994; Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor 1990; G. Taylor & Tennyson 1990; D. Brown 1991; G. Taylor & Parrish 1991, 1992; Powlesland & Pickard 1992; K. Owen 1994; Gaze 2000; Waugh et al. 2013). Translocations have resulted in breeding populations on Maud Island, Pelorus Sound (M. Bell et al. 2005), and Mana and Matiu / Somes Islands near Wellington (Miskelly et al. 2009; Miskelly & Powlesland 2013). Ranges mainly over the continental shelf, as far south as South Canterbury in autumn and winter (Imber 1985b). Straggles as far south as Southland (e.g. Tennyson 1990b; Renner 1995, 2001; J. Wood 2004; Schofield & Schofield 2006), the Chatham Islands (Imber 1994), and possibly Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Miskelly et al. 2001a). Immatures and non-breeders regular in eastern Australian seas (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Has straggled to Lord Howe (McAllan et al. 2004), New Caledonia, and Vanuatu (Jouanin & Mougin 1979). Identified from numerous Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden sites in the North, South, Stewart / Rakiura, and Chatham Islands but some bones may be remains of Scarlett’s or Hutton’s shearwaters, since the post-cranial bones of these species are difficult to distinguish (Millener 1991; Worthy 1997d, 1998a).

➤ †Puffinus spelaeus Holdaway & Worthy
Scarlett’s Shearwater | Ōiruki

Puffinus spelaeus Holdaway & Worthy, 1994: Emu 94: 203 – Te Ana Titi, a cave on the Fox River, Westland.

Known from Holocene remains from the South Island, mainly in the north-west (Holdaway & Worthy 1994; Holdaway et al. 2001).

➤ Puffinus huttoni Mathews
Hutton’s Shearwater | Kaikōura Tītī

Puffinus reinholdi huttoni Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 47 (key), 77 – Snares Island.

Reinholdia reinholdi huttoni (Mathews); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 226.

Reinholdia gavia huttoni (Mathews); Mathews 1927, Syst. Avium Australasianarum 1: 112.

Puffinus leptorhynchus Mathews, 1937: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 57: 143 – Bunbury, Western Australia.

Puffinus puffinus huttoni Mathews; R. Murphy 1952, American Museum Novit. 1586: 18.

Puffinus gavia huttoni Mathews; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 21.

Puffinus huttoni Mathews; Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 28.

Puffinus (Puffinus) huttoni Mathews; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 28.

Breeds in the Seaward Kaikoura Mountains at about 1,200–1,800 m a.s.l.; visiting the colony between late Aug. and Apr. (Harrow 1976). Formerly bred also in the Inland Kaikoura Mountains (e.g. Sherley 1992). A colony on Kaikoura Peninsula was created through translocation of pre-fledged chicks (Miskelly et al. 2009; L. Rowe 2018). Ranges mainly east of the South Island and into Cook Strait (Falla 1965; Harrow 1976; Powlesland & Pickard 1992); reaching as far south as Stewart Island / Rakiura and the Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Petyt 1995; Miskelly et al. 2001a; J. Wood 2004; Tennyson, Miskelly et al. 2014), to South Westland (Miskelly 1990) and north-east to East Cape / Koromere (e.g. Foreman 1991, 1996, 2000, 2002). Sometimes beach-wrecked on northern New Zealand coastlines, especially during spring (e.g. 27 on western Waikato beaches in Oct.–Nov. 2000; Clifford 2000b; also see Powlesland & Pickard 1992). Some remain in New Zealand waters all year round (Harrow 1976) but many migrate to seas off north-west Australia and are present there throughout the non-breeding season (Falla 1965; Halse 1981; Warham 1981; Powlesland & Pickard 1992; Cheshire 1999), with some remaining off Western Australia during Sep. to Dec. (Halse 1981; Warham 1981; Palliser 1997; O’Connor 1999; Hobcroft 2000). A few occur off south-east Australia during the breeding season (e.g. Imber & Crockett 1970; Halse 1981; R. Clarke 2005; Carter 2006). Possible Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden records from several parts of New Zealand (e.g. Millener 1991; Worthy 1997d) should be treated with caution because of uncertain identification (see note under P. gavia). The type locality for the species had long been debated (e.g. Miskelly et al. 2001a) but the holotype was likely collected by Henry Travers off the Snares Islands in Jan. 1890 (Tennyson, Miskelly et al. 2014).

➤ Puffinus assimilis Gould
Little Shearwater | Totorore*

The number of subspecies is debated (e.g. Austin 1996; Holdaway et. al. 2001; Austin et al. 2004). We follow the taxonomy of Austin et al. (2004), with the exception of P. elegans which we regard as a separate species following Holdaway et. al. (2001). Four subspecies recognised here: P. a. assimilis breeding at Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands; P. a. tunneyi Mathews, 1912 on islands off south-west Australia; P. a. kermadecensis at the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua; P. a. haurakiensis off northern New Zealand. Three subspecies are known from the New Zealand region; all seem non-migratory (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Assignment to subspecies of Holocene remains and midden material is tentative.

*Also used for other petrel species including Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata.

Puffinus assimilis assimilis Gould
Norfolk Island Little Shearwater

Puffinus assimilis Gould, 1838: Synop. Birds Australia 4, App.: 7 – New South Wales, error for Norfolk Island (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 50).

Puffinus affinis [sic] Anon. 1840: Penny Cyclopaedia 18: 42. Error for “Puffinus assimilis”.

Nectris nugax G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 647 (ex Solander MS) – no locality = Australian seas (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 60).

Puffinus australis “Eyton” Gould, 1848: Birds of Australia 7: text to pl. 59 – no locality.

Puffinus nugax Bonaparte, 1857: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 205 (ex Solander MS) – South Pacific Ocean, restricted to Australian seas (fide Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 60). Junior secondary homonym of Nectris nugax G.R. Gray, 1844.

Procellaria nugax (Bonaparte); Schlegel 1863, Mus. Hist. Nat. Pays-Bas, Procellariae 4: 31.

Puffinus (Puffinus) assimilis Gould; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 103. In part.

Puffinus assimilis howensis Mathews, 1915: Austral Avian Rec. 2: 125 – Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.

Alphapuffinus assimilis (Gould); Mathews & Iredale, 1915: Ibis 3 (10th series): 590.

Alphapuffinus assimilis assimilis (Gould); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 180.

Puffinus assimilis assimilis Gould; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 22.

Puffinus (Puffinus) assimilis assimilis Gould; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 30.

Puffinus assimilis; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 176.

Breeds at Lord Howe Island (McAllan et al. 2004) and Norfolk Island (Philip, Nepean, Bird Rocks, formerly main island; Fleming & Serventy 1943; Schodde et al. 1983). Straggles to New South Wales and the west coast of the North Island: three records from Muriwai Beach (Nov. 1937, and Jun. & Nov. 1939; Fleming & Serventy 1943).

Puffinus assimilis kermadecensis Murphy
Kermadec Little Shearwater

Puffinus (Puffinus) assimilis Gould; G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 103. In part.

Puffinus assimilis; Godman 1908, Monograph Petrels 2: 133. Not Puffinus assimilis Gould, 1838.

Puffinus assimilis assimilis; Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 69. Not Puffinus assimilis Gould, 1838.

Puffinus assimilis kermadecensis Murphy, 1927: American Mus. Novit. 276: 3 – Herald Islets, Kermadec Islands.

Alphapuffinus assimilis kermadecensis (Murphy); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 180.

Puffinus (Puffinus) assimilis kermadecensis Murphy; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 30.

Puffinus kermadecensis Murphy; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 174.

Breeds on the Kermadec Islands / Rangitāhua (Herald Islets, Macauley, Curtis, and Cheeseman Islands; possibly on Haszard Islet; formerly on Raoul Island; Veitch et al. 2004; Waugh et al. 2013). Ranges to seas off the west coast of the North Island (Imber 1985c). A reference to this subspecies occurring off the West Coast of South Island (Checklist Committee 1990) appears to be unsubstantiated.

Puffinus assimilis haurakiensis C.A. Fleming & Serventy
North Island Little Shearwater

Puffinus assimilis; Reischek 1886, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 18: 95. Not Puffinus assimilis Gould, 1838.

Procellaria assimilis gavia; Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 69. Not Procellaria gavia J.R. Forster, 1844.

Puffinus assimilis kempi; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 127. In part.

Puffinus assimilis haurakiensis C.A. Fleming & Serventy, 1943: Emu 43: 119 – Lizard Island, Mokohinau Islands.

Puffinus (Puffinus) assimilis haurakiensis C.A. Fleming & Serventy; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 30.

Puffinus haurakiensis C.A. Fleming & Serventy; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 174.

Breeds on Manawatāwhi / Three Kings (Parrish 1997, 2000b), Moturoa (Checklist Committee 1990), Stephenson / Mahinepua, Cavalli, Poor Knights, Hen and Chickens, Mokohinau, Mercury, Ohinau, The Aldermen, Penguin, and Rabbit Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; G. Taylor 2000a; Waugh et al. 2013). May have formerly bred on Hauturu / Little Barrier and Cuvier / Repanga Islands (Fleming & Serventy 1943). Ranges as far south as Wellington (Oliver 1955; Checklist Committee 1970; Imber 1985c). Late Pleistocene–Holocene North Island bones and midden records (Millener 1991; Holdaway et al. 2001) have been assumed to represent this subspecies (Checklist Committee 1990).

➤ Puffinus elegans Giglioli & Salvadori
Subantarctic Little Shearwater

Puffinus munda G.R. Gray, 1844: Gen. Birds 3: 647 (ex Solander MS) – no locality. Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria munda Kuhl, 1820.

Puffinus elegans Giglioli & Salvadori, 1869: Ibis 5 (new series): 68 – South Atlantic Ocean, at 43°54’S, 9°20’E.

Puffinus assimilis; Hutton 1872, Ibis 2 (3rd series): 248. Not Puffinus assimilis Gould, 1837.

Nectris munda Salvin, 1876: in Rowley’s Ornith. Miscellany 1: 236 (ex Solander MS) – 48°27’S, 93°00’W. Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria munda Kuhl, 1820.

Procellaria munda Salvin, 1876: in Rowley’s Ornith. Miscellany 1: 237 (ex Solander MS) – 48°27’S, 93°00’W. Junior primary homonym of Procellaria munda Kuhl, 1820.

Nectris Munda Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 59 (ex Solander MS) – southern ocean. Junior secondary homonym of Procellaria munda Kuhl, 1820.

Puffinus assimilis kempi Mathews, 1912: Birds Australia 2: 69 – Chatham Islands.

Puffinus assimilis munda (Salvin); Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 2: 69. Not Procellaria munda Kuhl, 1820.

Puffinus assimilis elegans Giglioli & Salvadori; Mathews 1912, Birds Australia 22: 69.

Puffinus kuhliana Mathews, 1933: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 54: 25. Unnecessary nomen novum for Nectris munda Mathews, 1912.

Alphapuffinus assimilis kempi (Mathews); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 180.

Alphapuffinus assimilis elegans (Giglioli & Salvadori); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 180.

Puffinus assimilis kuhliana Mathews; C.A. Fleming & Serventy 1943, Emu 43: 122.

Puffinus (Puffinus) assimilis elegans Giglioli & Salvadori; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 31.

Puffinus elegans; Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 127, 176.

Breeds on South Atlantic islands (Inaccessible, Nightingale, Gough), St Paul (south Indian Ocean), Chatham Islands (Star Keys, Little Mangere) (Holdgate 1965; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Imber 1994; Ryan 2007), and Antipodes Islands (Bollons, Archway, Inner Windward; Tennyson et al. 2002); possibly breeds on the Solander Islands (W. Cooper et al. 1986). Ranges in subantarctic seas, reaching the southern South Island (Kinsky 1971; Miskelly, Crossland et al. 2023; NMNZ OR.025587, OR.028686), Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Miskelly et al. 2001a), Bounty, Auckland / Maukahuka (Imber 1983; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020), and Campbell / Motu Ihupuku Islands (Kinsky 1971), and southern Chile (Jehl 1973; Imber 1983). Late Pleistocene–Holocene bones and midden records from South, Stewart / Rakiura, Chatham, and Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (e.g. Bourne 1967; Millener 1991; Tennyson 2020a), have been assumed to represent this species (Checklist Committee 1990); however, some of these bones may be P. assimilis (Worthy 1998c). Accepted as a full species following Holdaway et. al. (2001) and Onley & Scofield (2007).

Genus Pelecanoides La Cépède

Pelecanoides La Cépède, 1799: Tableaux Method. Mamm. Oiseaux: 13 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria urinatrix Gmelin = Pelecanoides urinatrix (Gmelin).

Haladroma Illiger, 1811: Prodromus Syst. Mamm. Avium: 274 – Type species (by monotypy) Procellaria urinatrix Gmelin = Pelecanoides urinatrix (Gmelin).

Onocralus Rafinesque, 1815: Analyse de la Nature: 72. Unnecessary nomen novum for Pelecanoides La Cépède, 1799.

Halodroma Cuvier, 1817: Règne Anim. 1: 516. Unjustified emendation.

Puffinuria Lesson, 1828: Manuel d’Ornith. 2: 394 – Type species (by monotypy) Puffinuria Garnotii Lesson = Pelecanoides garnotii (Lesson).

Puffinaria Lesson, 1837: Compléments Oeuvres Buffon 9: 507. Misspelling.

Porthmornis Murphy & Harper, 1921: Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 44: 502, 513 – Type species (by monotypy) Puffinuria garnotii magellani Mathews = Pelecanoides magellani (Mathews). As a subgenus of Pelecanoides.

Pelagodyptes Murphy & Harper, 1921: Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 44: 502, 519 – Type species (by monotypy) Pelecanoides georgicus Murphy & Harper. As a subgenus of Pelecanoides.

➤ Pelecanoides urinatrix (Gmelin)
Common Diving Petrel | Kuaka*

Circumpolar, breeding on islands between 34°S and 55°S and ranging mainly in adjacent seas (Jouanin & Mougin 1979). Six subspecies: P. u. urinatrix in Australia and northern New Zealand; P. u. berard (Gaimard, 1823) at the Falkland Islands; P. u. exsul in the subantarctic; P. u. dacunhae Nicoll, 1906 at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Islands; P. u. coppingeri Mathews, 1912 in southern Chile; P. u. chathamensis in southern New Zealand and the Chatham Islands (Jouanin & Mougin 1979). This species (uncertain subspecies) formerly bred on Amsterdam Island (Worthy & Jouventin 1999). Three subspecies occur in the New Zealand region.

*Also used for bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica.

Pelecanoides urinatrix urinatrix (Gmelin)
Northern Diving Petrel

Procellaria urinatrix Gmelin, 1789: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(2): 560. Based on “Diving Petrel” of Latham 1785, Gen. Synop. Birds 3(2): 413 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough.

Procellaria tridactylae Kuhl, 1820: Beitr. Zool. vergl. Anat. 1: 145 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough.

Procellaria tridactyla J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 149 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough. Junior primary homonym and junior synonym of Procellaria tridactylae Kuhl, 1820.

Puffinuria Urinatrix (Gmelin); Gould 1844, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., London 13: 366.

Halodroma urinatrix (Gmelin); Le Maout 1855, Hist. Nat. Oiseaux: 387.

Haladroma urinatrix (Gmelin); Finsch 1870, Journ. für Ornith. 18: 371.

Pelecanoides urinatrix Gmelin [sic]; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 76.

Pelecanoides urinatrix (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 102. In part.

Pelecanoides urinatrix belcheri Mathews, 1912: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 84 – Australian seas, restricted to Victoria, Australia (fide Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 196).

Pelecanoides urinatrix urinatrix (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 237.

Pelecanoides urinator urinator (Gmelin); Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 120. Unjustified emendation.

Pelecanoides urinatrix urinatrix (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 32. In part.

Breeds on Australian islands off Victoria, Tasmania, and in Bass Strait, and on many islands off New Zealand: from Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands to the Bay of Plenty and Taranaki, in Cook Strait, and off the Marlborough Sounds (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Ranges in adjacent seas, mainly in coastal waters, apart from when they migrate to moult south-east of the Chatham Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Rayner et al. 2017; Fromant et al. 2020). Abundant in Late Pleistocene–Holocene bone and midden deposits in the North and South Islands (Millener 1991). One specimen and possible Holocene remains from the Chatham Islands (Bourne 1968).

Pelecanoides urinatrix chathamensis Murphy & Harper
Southern Diving Petrel

Halodroma berardi [sic] (Quoy & Gaymard) [sic]; Hutton 1872, Ibis 2 (3rd series): 248. Not Procellaria Berard Gaimard, 1823.

Halodroma urinatrix; Hutton 1872, Ibis 2 (3rd series): 248. Not Procellaria urinatrix Gmelin, 1789.

Pelecanoides berardi [sic] (Quoy & Gaymard) [sic]; Buller 1873 (Mar.), History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition (part 5): 314. Not Procellaria Berard Gaimard, 1823.

Pelecanoides urinatrix chathamensis Murphy & Harper, 1916: Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 35: 65 – Chatham Islands.

Pelecanoides chathamensis; Falla, Sibson & Turbott 1966, Field Guide Birds of N.Z.: 58.

Pelecanoides urinator chathamensis Murphy & Harper; Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 120. Unjustified emendation.

Pelecanoides urinatrix urinatrix (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 32. In part.

Breeds off the southern South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura, including Codfish / Whenua Hou and Solander Islands, and on the Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Miskelly et al. 2001a; Miskelly, Bishop et al. 2021) and Chatham Islands (now probably extinct on Chatham, Pitt, and Mangere Islands; Imber 1994; Tennyson & Millener 1994). R. Murphy & Harper (1921) considered both P. u. chathamensis and P. u. exsul to occur at the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka, but this requires clarification because generally P. u. exsul is considered to nest there. Ranges mainly in adjacent coastal waters (e.g. Richdale 1965; Imber 1994; Miskelly et al. 2001a). Abundant in Holocene deposits and middens on the Chatham Islands (e.g. Bourne 1964; Millener 1991; Tennyson & Millener 1994; Worthy 1998e); also present as Holocene remains on Stewart Island (Worthy 1998e) and possibly in Late Pleistocene–Holocene deposits in the southern South Island (e.g. Worthy 1998a,b). This subspecies was reinstated following the recommendations of Worthy (1998e; see comments in Holdaway et al. 2001).

Pelecanoides urinatrix exsul Salvin
Subantarctic Diving Petrel

Pelecanoides urinatrix (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1871, Hand-list Birds 3: 102. In part.

Haladroma urinatrix (Gmelin); Cabanis & Reichenow 1876, Journ. für Ornith. 24: 328. Not Procellaria urinatrix Gmelin, 1789.

Pelecanoides exsul Salvin, 1896: Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 25: 437 (key), 438 – southern Indian Ocean, from Crozet Island to Kerguelen Island, restricted to Baie de l’Observatoire, La Grande Terre, Kerguelen Islands (fide Tennyson et al. 2022, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 142: 303).

Pelecanoides urinatrix exsul Salvin; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 27.

Pelecanoides urinator exsul Salvin; Jouanin & Mougin 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 120. Unjustified emendation.

Breeds on islands mainly in the subantarctic zone: South Georgia, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, and Macquarie Islands; in the New Zealand region on Auckland / Maukahuka, Antipodes, and Campbell / Motu Ihupuku Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020). Recently exterminated by cats on Marion Island (J. Cooper et al. 1995). Apparently ranges mainly in seas near the breeding places (Jouventin et al. 1985; Marchant & Higgins 1990; Fromant et al. 2021). Identified from Holocene dune deposits at the Auckland Islands / Maukahuka (Tennyson 2020a).

➤ Pelecanoides georgicus Murphy & Harper
South Georgian Diving Petrel

We follow Clements et al. (2019) and F. Gill et al. (2021) in recognising two subspecies, both of which occur in New Zealand. The subspecific identity of birds that formerly bred on Enderby Island (Auckland Islands), Stewart Island, Otago Peninsula, and Chatham Island is unknown (see Worthy 1998e; J. Wood & Briden 2008; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020; Tennyson 2020a). A 1995 record from Kakanui, Otago (Hocken 1996) is unverified. Stays mainly in seas near the breeding islands (M. Payne & Prince 1979) but has straggled once to New South Wales (J. Gibson & Sefton 1959).

Pelecanoides georgicus georgicus Murphy & Harper
South Georgian Diving Petrel

Pelecanoides georgica Murphy & Harper, 1916: Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 35: 66 – Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, south Atlantic Ocean.

Pelecanoides urinatrix georgica Murphy & Harper; Bennett 1926, Ibis 2 (12th series): 317.

Pelagodyptes georgicus (Murphy & Harper); Mathews 1934, Novit. Zool. 39(2): 198.

Pelagodyptes georgicus georgicus (Murphy & Harper); Mathews, 1935, Novit. Zool. 39(3): (page unnumbered) Additions to the keys.

Pelagodyptes georgicus novus Mathews, 1935: Novit. Zool. 39(3): Additions to the keys – Pacific Ocean, restricted to Macquarie Island (fide Mathews & Iredale 1943, Notes Procellariiformes: 62).

Pelecanoides georgicus Murphy [sic]; Mathews 1948, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 68: 157.

Pelecanoides georgicus georgicus Murphy & Harper; Clark & Dingwall 1985, Cons. Islands Southern Ocean: 68.

Pelecanoides georgicus Murphy & Harper; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 33.

Pelecanoides ?exsul; Scofield & Stephenson 2013, Birds N.Z. Photographic Guide. 1st edition: 204. Not Pelecanoides exsul Salvin, 1896.

Pelecanoides whenuahouensis;Fischer, Debski, Miskelly, Bost, Fromant, Tennyson, Tessler, Cole, Hiscock, Taylor & Wittmer 2018, PLOS one 13(doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197766): 14 (in part).

Breeds on South Georgia, Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, and Heard Islands (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Near to New Zealand, a few pairs on the Bishop and Clerk Islets and Macquarie Island (Brothers & Ledingham 2008; Brothers & Bone 2008). One confirmed breeding record from New Zealand (NMNZ OR.21631, Dundas Island, Auckland Islands, Oct. 1943; Miskelly, Elliott et al. 2020; Grosser et al. 2021). This specimen was listed as a paratype of P. whenuahouensis (Fischer et al. 2018) before being genotyped as P. georgicus georgicus (see Grosser et al. 2021). Therefore, the original description of P. whenuahouensis included both subspecies.

Pelecanoides georgicus whenuahouensis Fischer, Debski, Miskelly, Bost, Fromant, Tennyson, Tessler, Cole, Hiscock, Taylor & Wittmer
Whenua Hou Diving Petrel | Kuaka Whenua Hou

Pelecanoides georgicus Murphy & Harper; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 33. In part.

Pelecanoides ?exsul; Scofield & Stephenson 2013, Birds N.Z. Photographic Guide. 1st edition: 204. Not Pelecanoides exsul Salvin, 1896.

Pelecanoides whenuahouensis Fischer, Debski, Miskelly, Bost, Fromant, Tennyson, Tessler, Cole, Hiscock, Taylor & Wittmer, 2018: PLOS One 13(doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197766): 14 – Codfish Island / Whenua Hou.

Pelecanoides georgicus whenuahouensis Fischer, Debski, Miskelly, Bost, Fromant, Tennyson, Tessler, Cole, Hiscock, Taylor & Wittmer; Miskelly & Taylor 2020, Notornis 67: 43.

Described as a full species by Fischer et al. (2018). A subsequent genetic study by Grosser et al. (2021) revealed that one of the paratypes (a breeding female from Dundas Island, Auckland Islands) was P. georgicus sensu stricto, and that whenuahouensis was little differentiated from P. georgicus (genetic distance 0.006; cf. 0.005 to 0.027 between subspecies of P. urinatrix). We therefore follow Clements et al. (2019) and F. Gill et al. (2021) in treating whenuahouensis as a subspecies of P. georgicus pending a wider phylogenetic study of the genus.

Fewer than 100 pairs on Codfish Island / Whenua Hou (Imber & Nilsson 1980; West & Imber 1989; G. Taylor 2000b; Fischer et al. 2018).