Flesh-footed Shearwater

Breeds in northern New Zealand with some massive colonies of 20, 000 birds on some small islands north of the Hauraki Gulf. There are also some smaller breeding colonies in the Marlborough Sounds. Flesh-foot shearwaters also breed in the South Indian Ocean. They used to be harvested by Maori. New Zealand's birds migrate north in March to late May to winter in the North Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan. They return to New Zealand in September. Named after the colouration of their feet. Flesh-footed shearwaters will plunge-dive and can fly underwater to retrieve small baitfish and fish offal. They are very bold and will take baits on fishing lines as well as tangling in fishing nets.

Flesh-footed shearwaters have been sighted at Kaikoura from November to March. Flesh foot shearwaters are absent from Kaikoura's waters for the rest of the year as birds depart from New Zealand waters and migrate to the North Pacific Ocean.

Buller's Shearwater

Breeds only on the Poor Knights Islands, just to the north of the Hauraki Gulf Population has increased dramatically in the last two decades and is estimated now at 2.5 million birds. Only one hundred pairs bred on the island in 1938, but since the removal of pigs from the island, which frequently trampled the birds burrows, numbers of Buller’s shearwaters have increased dramatically. Like the flesh-footed shearwater, Buller’s shearwaters migrate after breeding in New Zealand to the waters of the North Pacific especially off Japan and Alaska. Buller’s shearwaters feed on small krill and jellyfish. In recent years they have started to feed on food scraps thrown overboard from fishing boats. Buller’s shearwaters have a distinctive series of rapid wing beats followed by a long glide. Flocks of over 10, 000 birds have been seen off the Northland Coast.

Buller’s shearwaters are seen off the Kaikoura Coast from October to May. During the height of summer flocks of over a hundred birds can be seen. Buller’s shearwaters frequently feed with other species of shearwaters such as sooty, flesh-footed and Hutton's shearwaters which form large flocks flying in circles over schools of baitfish.

Sooty Shearwater - Titi

The most common seabird found in the New Zealand region with a world population of 20 million birds. Harvested in New Zealand, being the traditional muttonbird for Southern Maori tribes with about quarter of a million chicks harvested annually. Sooty shearwaters breed in New Zealand over the summer and autumn. In late autumn sooty shearwaters depart from New Zealand waters and migrate into the North Pacific off the coast of Japan and North America. While migrating large flocks of over 500, 000 birds have been sighted. They plunge-dive into the water and can swim underwater using their wings.

Sooty shearwaters can be seen off Kaikoura from late September to late May. Generally only small flocks of sooty shearwaters are seen, often in association with other species of shearwaters. Sooty shearwaters feed on the bright orange krill which occurs in vast numbers off Kaikoura in the summer and autumn. Sooty shearwaters fly close to the water, hence the birds name "shearwater".

Short-tailed Shearwater

These shearwaters breed on islands around Australia. Distinguished from the sooty shearwater (which has a white underwing), by having a greyish-coloured underwing, otherwise very similar to the sooty shearwater. Basically an Australian version of New Zealand’s sooty shearwater. Millions of birds breed on the islands in Bass Strait. Harvested as muttonbirds in Australia.

The occasional short-tailed shearwater strays across the Tasman Sea into New Zealand’s waters. Short-tailed shearwaters are seen over the summer off Kaikoura, although since they look very similar to the more common sooty shearwater, they are overlooked. The occasional short-tailed shearwater is seen off Kaikoura over the late spring and early summer.

Fluttering Shearwater  - Pakaha

Breeds only in New Zealand. Main breeding colonies are in the Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds. Chicks were harvested by the Maoris. A small brown and white bird which as its name suggests flies just above the water with a series of rapid wing beats. Fluttering shearwaters feed by plunge diving under the water and feed on small sprats which are normally chased close to the surface by larger predatory fish such as kahawai and barracuda.

Fluttering shearwaters are very similar to the Hutton’s shearwater, which is far more common in the coastal waters around Kaikoura and the two species are difficult to tell apart. Small flocks of up to a hundred fluttering shearwaters may be seen within 1-2 miles off the Kaikoura Coast, although fluttering shearwaters generally occur as the odd bird with flocks of up to thousands of Hutton's shearwaters.

Hutton's Shearwater

Hutton’s shearwaters breed only on the Seaward Kaikoura Mountains at an altitude of 1200-1800metres - a most unusual place for a seabird to nest. Given the usual and inaccessible breeding grounds, its breeding sites were not found until 1965 by mountaineer Geoff Harrow.

Thought to have formerly bred throughout much of the Seaward and Inland Kaikoura Range and even possibly further afield along the upper east coast of the South Island, the Hutton's shearwaters are now confined to two colonies in the Seaward Kaikoura Range. The major colony (surveys carried out on this colony in 1992 (Sherley) estimated a population of about 94,000 breeding pairs) is located at the head of the Kowhai River and a second smaller colony is located further north in the Seaward Kaikoura Range at the Puhi Peaks.

In 2005 the Board of Alpine Discovery Ltd endorsed the setting up of a charitable trust for the protection of the endangered Hutton's shearwater at Puhi Peaks and also set in motion the process to have the entire upper part of the Puhi Peaks colony area protected in perpetuity under a QE11 National Trust Protection Covenant. The area is now known as the Puhi Peaks Nature Reserve.  

The reason for the disappearance of former breading sites of the Hutton's shearwaters has been put down to the impact of man and high country farming (incuding clearing of vegetation by fire) and mammalian predators and browsers, namely stoats, ferrets, feral cats, pigs, deer and to some degree chamois. 

At Kaikoura particularly in the spring months of October and November, flocks of up to 20, 000 birds can be seen flying around in circles, low over the water feeding on small baitfish. Hutton’s shearwaters will dive underneath the water to chase small fish. The bright orange krill is also a favoured prey of the Hutton's shearwater. Hutton’s shearwaters stay in New Zealand waters throughout the spring to early autumn, feeding between Kaikoura and Banks Peninsula. During the late autumn Hutton’s shearwaters migrate from the Kaikoura Coast to southern Australia, returning early in the spring to breed. Hutton’s shearwaters will move to within a hundred metres to 10 miles offshore along the Kaikoura Coast.

Relocation Project

An attempt to establish a new breeding colony for the Huttons has been conducted - The Department of Conservation, Te Runanga O Kaikoura, Whale Watch Kaikoura and the Kaikoura District Council were jointly involved in a trial translocation of Huttons shearwater. Some young birds were moved from their main breeding colony in Te Uwerau Nature Reserve to a site at the south eastern end of Kaikoura Peninsula. It is hoped they will then believe this site is their home breeding ground.

The accessibility of a Kaikoura Peninsula breeding colony will enable the local community to become more involved in protection of the seabird. A new colony would be a safeguard, should some disaster destroy the two existing colonies.