Seabirds around fishing vessels

Mottled petrel

Pterodroma inexpectata

The mottled petrel is endemic to New Zealand and breeds on islands off Fiordland, Stewart Island and The Snares. The annual breeding population is estimated at around 400,000 pairs. The mottled petrel migrates to the North Pacific Ocean in winter. Although its plumage presents some distinct characteristics, it may be confused at sea with other grey and white gadfly petrels.

Pterodroma inexpectata
CC-BY, Dragonfly Science

Mean number of mottled petrel recorded around fishing vessels during counts carried out by government observers, binned to 0.4 degree of longitude and latitude. The size of the circle indicates the number of observations, whereas the colour indicates the mean number of birds recorded during counts. Empty circles indicate that no birds were observed. The grey areas indicate water depths of less than 1000 m.

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