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a.k.a. Buller's Mollymawk
- Thalassarche bulleri
Identification
Range Breeds in the New Zealand sector on the Sisters and Forty-fours in the Chathan Islands and on the Snares, Solander and Three Kings Islands. Post-breeding dispersal to seas off southern and south-eastern Australia and Tasmania, and across South Pacific to seas off Peru and Chile, rarely north of about 300S.
Habitat Breeds on islands, otherwise at sea.
Identification A small mollymawk most similar to Salvin's T. salvini and Grey-headed T. chrysostoma. Adult: back and upperwing brownish-black, rump white and tail greyish-black, underparts white. Head grey with contrasting white forehead and dark eyebrow. Underwing white with dark tip, broad dark leading edge and narrow dark trailing edge. Iris dark brown, bill black with yellow culminicorn and ramicorn, legs pinkish blue. Immature: juvenile as adult but bill pale brownish-horn with darker tip and darker brownish-grey head. Culminicorn and ramicorn become yellower with age and head becomes greyer. Distinguished from Grey-headed by narrower dark leading edge to underwing and whiter forehead and from Salvin's by smaller size, greyer head, bill colour and different underwing pattern.
Length 76-81cm. Wingspan 205-213cm.
Voice Sheep-like bleating call at nest, grunting, coughing and cackling calls when competing for food at sea.
BREEDING On the Chatham Islands lays eggs October-November with young fledging in April-May, on Solander and Snares Islands lays February with young fledging in August.
DIET Squid, cuttlefish, crustaceans and fish, sometimes refuse from ships.
Subspecies Two subspecies recongnised. Nominate race breeds Solander and Snares Islands, present December to August and disperses towards Australia. Race platei breeds on the Chatham Islands two-three months earlier and moves towards South America.
Taxonomy
Diomedea vs. Thalassarche
Genera Phoebastria and Thalassarche formerly placed in the Diomedea, but now considered by virtually all authorities (Clements, Howard & Moore, AOU, BOU, SACC) to be separate genera in light of Nunn et al. (1996) and Penhallurick & Wink (2004).
