Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775:reg:18:p40
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 18 (pt 40/152)
Character Range: 151029–153977

colonies may be severe. The introduction of predators to Heard Island is a plausible threat (Garnett et al 2011).

Recommended Management Actions
        Regularly monitor breeding populations at index locations

        Study the breeding biology of the species

        Work with range states to control, or eradicate invasive species on breeding islands

      Implement best practice quarantine measures at breeding colonies to reduce the risk of any invasive species (re)establishing on islands

70 Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds
Species profiles

Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii)

Life History and Distribution
Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) is a small all-dark petrel similar in size to small gadfly petrels (Pterodroma spp.) and prions (Pachyptila spp.) with strikingly long wings and long wedge-shaped tail. The species is pantropical, being found in all three oceans outside the breeding season. Breeding sites include the eastern Atlantic from the Azores, Portugal to Cape Verde, and the Pacific from eastern China and the Bonin Islands (Japan), east to the Hawaiian Islands (USA), and the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) (del Hoyo et al. 1992). The breeding season begins in April or May, with individuals forming colonies in a wide variety of habitats on offshore islands. Nests are usually in burrows, crevices, cracks or caves, under debris or vegetation cover (del Hoyo et al. 1992). After breeding, Bulwer's Petrel migrate away from colonies but movements are not well understood. Birds are seen off north-west Australia between September and April and are thought to be on migration into the Indian Ocean. The diet comprises mainly of fish and squid, with minor proportions of crustaceans and sea-striders, feeding largely at night by surface-seizing.

Population Estimates and Trends
Brooke (2004) estimated the global population to number between 500,000–1 million individuals. The Australian population is unknown but observations have increased off north-west Australia, Christmas Island and the islands of Ashmore Reef in recent decades. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence of any decreases or substantial threats.

Conservation Concerns and Actions
Predation by cats (Felis catus) and Black Rats (Rattus rattus) occurs over portions of the breeding range (Cabral et al. 2005, Matias et al. 2009). Feral cats are considered a major driver of the present distribution of the species, on the Azores where breeding areas are restricted to steep cliffs. Black Rats are present on many of the islands on which the species breeds or would be likely to breed, and, along with cats, is thought to be one of the main determinants of the current breeding distribution. The species may be at risk of incidental capture in longline fisheries, but as yet, no significant effects of bycatch on adult mortality have been documented (Waugh et al. 2012). Due to