Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species is listed as Endangered because it appears to occupy a very small range and very few locations when breeding, and its population is thought to be in decline owing to on-going predation by introduced mammals. Research, however, is required to further clarify the species's status.
Population justification
This species's population size has not been estimated (Brooke 2004).
Trend justification
The population is considered to be in decline owing to predation by introduced mammals and other potential threats, such as collisions with artificial light sources.
Puffinus bannermani is a little-known species that breeds on Higashijima, Bonin Islands, and on Minami-Iwoto, Volcano Islands in the Ogasawara group, Japan. Its at-sea range is thought to be fairly local to these islands (Onley and Scofield 2007). A fledgling was recently collected on Chichi-Jima (Onley and Scofield 2007).
Very little is known about this species and research is required to obtain an understanding of its ecology. Based on the ecology of closely related species, P. bannermani is likely to feed on fish, squid and cephalopods by surface-seizing, underwater pursuit, including diving and plunging, and pattering (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Brooke 2004). It is likely to nest in rock crevices or burrows and form colonies (del Hoyo et al. 1992).
House Rats Rattus rattus are a suspected threat to the population. House Rats are abundant on Kita-Iwoto Island where they likely caused the local extinction of Bannerman’s Shearwaters (Kawakami 2014). Rats were eradicated on Higashijima in 2008-2009, following an event of mass predation on seabirds, but despite eradication being pursued on other islands, rats remain present on more than 20 islands in the Bonin group (Kawakami et al. 2012). On islands suspected to host breeding populations of Bannerman’s Shearwater (Higashijima, Chichijima, Hahajima), other shearwater species are known to suffer from attraction to artificial light and subsequent mortality from grounding (Kawakami et al. 2012) and light pollution is expected to pose a similar threat to this species. More research is needed to identify and quantify the threats and their impacts on this species.
Conservation Actions Underway
Rats were eradicated on Higashijima in 2008-2009. Eradication has been attempted on other islands, but introduced rats remain on over 20 islands in the Bonin group (Kawakami et al. 2012).
Conservation Actions Proposed
Carry out surveys to find breeding locations and assess the population size. Study the species's ecology. Monitor population trends through coordinated surveys. Assess the impacts of introduced rats on this species and the severity of other potential threats. Conduct further rat eradication programmes. Strictly protect suitable breeding areas.
Text account compilers
Moreno, R., Fjagesund, T., Hermes, C., Stuart, A., Symes, A., Taylor, J., Martin, R.
Contributors
Kawakami, K.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Bannerman's Shearwater Puffinus bannermani. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/bannermans-shearwater-puffinus-bannermani on 25/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 25/11/2024.