photo: Brenda Zaun
Endemic, Endangered
Hawaiian Name: ‘A‘o
Scientific Name: Puffinus newelli
Family: Procellariidae
Population
- The most recent population estimate is 19,000 breeding pairs, based on at-sea surveys from 1980-1994.
- Since then, there has been an estimated population decline of approximately 75%, with over 90% of the population breeding on Kaua‘i.
Feeding
- Forage offshore, often in large, mixed species flocks and usually associated with schools of large, predatory fish that drive prey species (fish and squid) to the ocean surface.
Feeding techniques:
- Pursuit-plunging: chasing fish underwater, to depths of over 150 feet
- Diving: They dive from 9 to 15 feet above the surface
Breeding
Known breeding colonies: Kaua‘i (Forested mountain slopes), Maui (Kipahulu & West Maui
Mountains), Small numbers on Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i & Hawai‘i Island
- Long-term pair bonds
- Bi-parental care
- Often return to natal colonies and the same burrow year after year
- Lay 1 egg per breeding season
Incubation period: 53-53 days
Chick period: 81-94 days
Nest habitat: burrows in ferns and tree roots in forests on steep mountainous slopes
Life Cycle
December to March: birds remain at sea
April: birds return to colonies
- Clean out nests/Dig new nests
- Re-establish pair bond with mate
Late April: Pre-laying exodus
Early June: Egg-laying
- Both parents feed chick by regurgitation
- Feeding decreases with time
November: Chick fledging
For even more detailed information about this seabird, download: Newell’s Shearwater.pdf
