The Hutton’s Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) is a seabird found in New Zealand, with breeding restricted to only two remaining colonies in the Kaikoura Seaward Ranges, Kaikoura.
During the non-breeding winter months, they migrate to South Australia. They inhabit the open seas, and colonies occur within the sub-alpine to alpine range.
These shearwaters are known to occasionally crash-land on roads, apparently mistaking the roads for stretches of water.
Status
This species is threatened by habitat loss caused by colony disruption by introduced browsing mammals and introduced Short-tailed Weasel predation on their nesting burrows.
Conservation efforts are ongoing to preserve this species. To this end, a new colony has been established on the Kaikoura Peninsula.
