1.4.2 Additional species found in Oceania

There are many seabirds that breed outside the region that have been recorded within the Pacific Island Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). These records are either published in scientific papers, journals, citizen science internet databases, or are data derived from species carrying tracking devices. Several species are annual trans-equatorial migrants, which breed mainly in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia and spend their non-breeding months north of the equator. Species breeding in Japan and Hawaii, such as Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas), Newell’s Shearwater (Puffinus newelli), and Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica), Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis), and Matsudaira’s Storm Petrel (Hydrobates matsudairae) range south towards the equator, and in some cases further south in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Figure 16. Flesh-footed shearwater off Japan, showing wing moult. These birds breed in New Zealand and Australia during the Austral summer, then migrate to the North Pacific where they undergo a progressive moult. Photo: Hiroyuki Tanoi