Great Shearwater

Great shearwater is a large brown, white and grey migrant that reaches New Zealand only rarely. It has a dark cap, white collar, brown upperparts, white underparts and a dark belly patch; Buller’s shearwater lacks the belly patch and has a cleaner grey-and-black upperwing pattern.

It breeds on Tristan da Cunha-group islands and follows a vast Atlantic migration, with occasional strays reaching New Zealand seas. It takes fish, squid and crustaceans by surface-seizing and shallow diving and often follows ships.

New Zealand records are exceptional and require offshore observation; there is no predictable site.