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POP2014-02: Southern Buller's albatross Solander Island 2015/2016 (PDF, 1,437K)

Summary

In February 2016, a whole-island group (Solander Island and Little Solander Island) breeding population estimate was derived for Southern Buller's albatross Thalassarche bulleri bulleri using a combination of direct ground counts, counts from vantage points on the ground and counts from photographs of the birds on the islands.

Overall, the Solander Islands population was estimated at 5,620 breeding pairs, with 5,280 of these on Solander Island and 340 pairs on Little Solander Island.

This estimate is higher than the two previous whole-island estimates, from 2002 and 1996. Trend analysis using TRIM indicated an average population growth rate of 1.36% per year between 1996 and 2016.

The Snares Islands/Tini Heke still hold the majority of the southern Buller's albatross breeding population, with the current Solander Islands population representing approximately 40% of the total.

Publication information

Thompson, D.; Sagar, P.; Baker, B.; Jensz, K. (2017). Southern Buller’s albatross survey at the Solander Islands 2016. NIWA Client Report 2017079WN. Report prepared for the Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand.