Buller’s Shearwaters are endemic to New Zealand, with the entire population breeding on only two northern islands and five islets. The species ranges throughout most of the Pacific Ocean, from Chile to the Aleutian Islands and west to Japan. They occur off the west coast of North America from May through November or early December. Data are not sufficient to determine a change in the population status in Canada relative to about 1970. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The Buller’s Shearwaters highly restricted breeding distribution makes them inherently vulnerable to perturbations. However, human disturbance in and around their breeding colonies is well managed. Fishing and island entry have been banned at the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve since 1996, and the region was further deemed an "area to be avoided" for large shipping vessel traffic in 2004 (BirdLife International 2012). The accidental introduction of mammalian predators poses the greatest potential risk to this species.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
