Buller’s Shearwater (Ardenna bulleri)

Identification & Behavior: ~46 cm (18 in). The Buller’s Shearwater is bluish-gray upperparts with a black “M” pattern on the back bordered by white on the trailing edge of the secondary flight feathers. It has broad dusky barring on the scapulars feathers. It has a black cap that contrasts with the bluish-gray back. The underparts are white. The tail is black but the upper tail coverts and rump are white. The underwing is also white fringed with black without a carpal diagonal stripe. It is very similar to the Masatierra Petrel and Juan Fernandez Petrel but is distinguished by having a white on the trailing edge of the upper wing, a white rump, no diagonal carpal stripe on the underwing, and no white forehead.

Status: The Buller’s Shearwater is uncommon to rare in pelagic waters. It also occurs in Ec and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Pardela de Buller.

Sub-species: Buller’s Shearwater (Ardenna bulleri), Salvin, 1888.

Meaning of Name: Ardenna: L. Ardenna or Artènna= Name given to the Diomedean or seabirds in some Italian dialects. bulleri: In honor of Kenneth Gordon Buller (1915-1995) English collector, emigrated to Australia 1926, taxidermist at Western Australian Mus.

Formerly known as Puffinus bulleri (2018).

See more of the Family Procellariidae