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Albatrosses are flexible and adaptable predators, relying on live prey as well as carrion. Use of predictable food sources and reliance on human-produced resources are well-known trait in long-range feeders like albatrosses and petrels. Breeding Buller's albatrosses studied at Solander I. (Hautere), New Zealand fed their chicks the remains of sooty shearwater juveniles (tītī in Māori), which are harvested from nearby muttonbirding sites. Evidence of this food type was found at over 10% of nests examined, and 17-40% birds that were fitted with GPS loggers visited muttonbirding sites in this and previous studies. Muttonbirding is a traditional practice that has continued for centuries, with up to 120 tonnes of offal discharged to the sea annually during the present day harvest. It coincides with the energetically-demanding early chick period for the albatrosses. Our finding suggests that the offal may be an important, but overlooked element in the albatross diet. As an important supplementary food for the albatrosses it is likely to have contributed to the 3% per annum growth of their populations since the first comprehensive population surveys in 1969.

Threat status assessments provide a benchmark for identifying priorities for conservation and related research for special-status species. We review data about an endemic New Zealand seabird, the Westland Petrel Procellaria westlandica. and provide information to assist future threat assessment reviews. A range of threats have potential or have already contributed to reductions in population growth at a level that may exceed 10% over 10 years (ranked "High" or "High potential" threats). The realised (observed) threats include landslips and extreme climate events that degrade nesting habitat; bycatch mortality in commercial, recreational, and high-seas fisheries; attraction of fledglings to lights; and the potential encroachment of pigs Sits scrofa and dogs Canis familiaris into breeding areas. Low-ranked threats (which may contribute <10% to population reduction over 10 years) include habitat degradation by browsing introduced mammals and land development; death of individuals by striking wires or buildings; disturbance at colonies; the petrels' consumption of fisheries waste and plastics; human harvest; and naturally occurring mortality such as predation by native species or entrapment in tree branches and vines. Population size estimation, demographic modelling, and trend information indicate that the population is small (~2800 breeding pairs), with very low productivity and therefore potential vulnerability to stochastic events. Recent surveys show that the area of breeding habitat occupied by the birds is only about 0.16 km². Storm events in 2014 severely reduced habitat quality, destroyed large parts of some colonies, and increased the likelihood of further erosion and landslip for at least 75% of the global breeding population. Storm impacts at other colonies have not yet been assessed. In light of this information, we recommend immediate review of the threat status of the species and initiation of mitigation to reduce the severity of threats. The information available indicates that a relisting to IUCN Endangered status may be warranted, and that the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels threat assessments should be revised to include two high-level potential threats: pig predation and dog predation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which examined the survival probability of Flesh-footed Shearwater (FFSW) Puffinus carneipes in New Zealand. The researchers analyzed mark-recapture data to monitor FFSW population in Lady Alice Island and Kauwahaia Island in northern New Zealand. It was confirmed that breeding numbers of FFSW continue to be stable in Kauwahaia Island while FFSW population in Lady Alice Island is declining.