Menu

Volume 54, No. 2

Volumes > 38 (2010-->)

Volumes 28-37 (2000-09)

Volumes 18-27 (1990-99)

Volumes 5-17 (1978-89) a.k.a 'Cormorant'

Search by author or title:

A rich seabird assemblage highlights the conservation value of the Norfolk Basin.


Authors

PETER ALLEN1 & SIMON B. Z. GORTA2
1School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia (peter.vaughan@monash.edu)
2Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Citation

Allen, P., & Gorta, S. B. Z. (2026). A rich seabird assemblage highlights the conservation value of the Norfolk Basin. Marine Ornithology, 54(2), 281-291.
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.54.2.1702

Received 23 November 2025, accepted 12 February 2026

Date Published: 2026/10/15
Date Online: 2026/08/29

Download PDF
Key words: Marine Protected Areas, Norfolk Marine Park, South Pacific Ocean, Tasman Sea, Coral Sea, shipboard survey, pelagic ecosystem

Abstract

The Norfolk Basin is located between Aotearoa/New Zealand and Norfolk Island in the southwest of the South Pacific Ocean and is proximate to breeding areas of functionally important, unique, and threatened seabirds. Despite this region's potential importance for seabirds, the basin's seabird assemblage has never been quantified, although protections for part of the region exist within the framework of the Norfolk Marine Park. Here, we report on seabird surveys conducted while crossing the Norfolk Basin on 10 and 11 May 2025, as well as reporting on an exhaustive search for prior records of all seabirds recorded across this poorly surveyed area. We recorded 29 pelagic seabird species (32 taxa including subspecies) during our surveys, including three that had not previously been documented within the Norfolk Basin, highlighting the limited survey effort to date in the region. Gadfly petrels Pterodroma spp. exhibited exceptionally high species richness (n = 11) during our surveys. Additionally, almost 40% of the seabird species detected were listed as globally Near Threatened or higher under the IUCN Red List, and more than two-thirds were of conservation concern when also considering those listed as threatened in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, underlining the region's importance for rich and threatened seabird assemblages. Our surveys, integrated with citizen science and historical data, provide foundational insights into the seabird assemblage of the Norfolk Basin. The species richness and counts of seabirds observed suggest that this region hosts a productive marine ecosystem. Continued and expanded surveys are needed to build the knowledge required to guide effective marine conservation in the Norfolk Basin region, both within and beyond protected areas.

References


Ainley, D. G., Spear, L. B., Tynan, C. T., Barth, J. A., Pierce, S. D., Ford, R. G., & Cowles, T. J. (2005). Physical and biological variables affecting seabird distributions during the upwelling season of the northern California Current. Deep-Sea Research Part II, 52(1-2), 123-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2004.08.016

Allen, P., Peters, A., Stiefel, Z., & Clarke, R. H. (2025). Seabird moult timing and duration: Implications for at-sea threat exposure worldwide. Global Ecology and Conservation, 59, Article e03558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03558

AviList Core Team. (2025). AviList: The Global Avian Checklist (Version 2025). AviList. https://doi.org/10.2173/avilist.v2025

Ballance, L. T. (2007). Understanding seabirds at sea: Why and how? Marine Ornithology, 35(2), 127-135. http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.35.2.743

BirdLife Australia. (n.d.). BirdLife Australia Rarities Committee. Birdata. Retrieved September 7, 2025, from https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/birdlife-australia-rarities-committee

BirdLife International. (2018). Species factsheet: Black Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni. Retrieved February 8, 2026, https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-petrel-procellaria-parkinsoni

Birds New Zealand. (n.d.). Rare & unusual birds. Retrieved September 7, 2025, from https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/rare-birds/

Borberg, J. M., Ballance, L. T., Pitman, R. L., & Ainley, D. G. (2005). A test for bias due to seabird avoidance of ships when conducting surveys in the tropical Pacific. Marine Ornithology, 33(2), 173-179. https://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.33.2.664

Bost, C. A., Cotté, C., Bailleul, F., Cherel, Y., Charrassin, J. B., Guinet, C., Ainley, D. G., & Weimerskirch, H. (2009). The importance of oceanographic fronts to marine birds and mammals of the southern oceans. Journal of Marine Systems, 78(3), 363-376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2008.11.022

Clay, T. A., & Brooke, M. d. L. (2024). Trans-equatorial migration links oceanic frontal habitats across the Pacific Ocean: Year-round movements and foraging activity of a small gadfly petrel. Marine Biology, 171, Article 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04373-3

Davis, R. A., & Watson, D. M. (2018). Vagrants as vanguards of range shifts in a dynamic world. Biological Conservation, 224, 238-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.06.006

Dawson, M. N., Grosberg, R. K., & Botsford, L. W. (2006). Connectivity in marine protected areas. Science, 313(5783), 43-45. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.313.5783.43c

Dias, M. P., Martin, R., Pearmain, E. J., Burfield, I. J., Small, C., Phillips, R. A., Yates, O., Lascelles, B., Borboroglu, P. G., & Croxall, J. P. (2019). Threats to seabirds: A global assessment. Biological Conservation, 237, 525-537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.06.033

Dias, M. P., Oppel, S., Bond, A. L., Carneiro, A. P. B., Cuthbert, R. J., González-Solís, J., Wanless, R. M., Glass, T., Lascelles, B., Small, C., Phillips, R. A., & Ryan, P. G. (2017). Using globally threatened pelagic birds to identify priority sites for marine conservation in the South Atlantic Ocean. Biological Conservation, 211(Part A), 76-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.05.009

Director of National Parks. (2018). Temperate East Marine Parks Network Management Plan 2018. Australian Government, Director of National Parks.

Dufour, P., Lees, A. C., Gilroy, J., & Crochet, P.-A. (2024). The overlooked importance of vagrancy in ecology and evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 39(1), 19-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.10.001

Fischer, J. H., Carnerio, A., Rowley, O., & Debski, I. (2024, August 9). An update on the New Zealand large-scale monitoring and tracking programme with improved insights into trends and distribution (PaCSWG8 Doc 03) [ACAP Working Paper, Eighth Meeting of the Population and Conservation Status Working Group]. Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16435.13607

Gaskin, C. P. (2011). Seabirds of the Kermadec region: Their natural history and conservation (Science for Conservation 316). New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Gorta, S. B. Z. (2021). Southern influx of the pantropical Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii into the Tasman Sea. Marine Ornithology, 49(1), 145-150. http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.49.1.1410

Gorta, S. B. Z., & Allen, P., 2026. Resolving the ‘identification gap' to uncover sympatric seabird distributions. Diversity and Distributions, 32(4), Article e70183. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.70183

Gorta, S. B. Z., Allen, P., Kingsford, R. T., Berryman, A. J., Davies, J., Roderick, M., & Clarke, R. H. (2026). Environmental drivers of gadfly petrel vagrancy in the Southwest Pacific. Ibis, 168(2), 616-632. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.70027

Gorta, S. B. Z., Brockett, B., & Rapley, S. (2023). Interactions between seabirds and sharks at a Fur Seal carcass. Marine Ornithology, 51(2), 237-241. http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.51.2.1539

Gorta, S. B. Z., Smith, J. A., Everett, J. D., Kingsford, R. T., Cornwell, W. K., Suthers, I. M., Epstein, H., McGovern, R., McLachlan, G., Roderick, M., Smith, L., Williams, D., & Callaghan, C. T. (2019). Pelagic citizen science data reveal declines of seabirds off south-eastern Australia. Biological Conservation, 235, 226-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.05.007

Goyert, H. F., Gardner, B., Sollmann, R., Veit, R. R., Gilbert, A. T., Connelly, E. E., & Williams, K. A. (2016). Predicting the offshore distribution and abundance of marine birds with a hierarchical community distance sampling model. Ecological Applications, 26(6), 1797-1815. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-1955.1

Grémillet, D., & Boulinier, T. (2009). Spatial ecology and conservation of seabirds facing global climate change: A review. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 391, 121-137. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08212

Halpin, L. R., Mott, R., Clay, T. A., Humphries, G. R. W., Chatwin, T. A., Carlile, N., & Clarke, R. H. (2022). Predicting the foraging habitats of sympatrically breeding gadfly petrels in the South Pacific Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, Article 853104. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.853104

Heritage Expeditions. (2023). HA230320: Western Pacific Odyssey: Birding cruise from New Zealand to Japan. Retrieved September 7, 2025, from https://www.heritage-expeditions.com/trip-reports/277/

Hindwood, K. A. (1940). The birds of Lord Howe Island. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 40(1), 1-86. https://doi.org/10.1071/MU940001

Howell, S. N. G., & Zufelt, K. (2019). Oceanic birds of the world: A photo guide. Princeton University Press.

iNaturalist. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2025, from https://www.inaturalist.org

International Union for Conservation of Nature. (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 2025-1). Retrieved September 7, 2025, from https://www.iucnredlist.org

Krüger, L., Ramos, J. A., Xavier, J. C., Grémillet, D., González-Solís, J., Kolbeinsson, Y., Militão, T., Navarro, J., Petry, M. V., Phillips, R. A., Ramírez, I., Reyes-González, J. M., Ryan, P. G., Sigurðsson, I. A., Van Sebille, E., Wanless, R. M., & Paiva, V. H. (2017). Identification of candidate pelagic marine protected areas through a seabird seasonal-, multispecific- and extinction risk-based approach. Animal Conservation, 20(5), 409-424. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12339

Louzao, M., Bécares, J., Rodríguez, B., Hyrenbach, K. D., Ruiz, A., & Arcos, J. M. (2009). Combining vessel-based surveys and tracking data to identify key marine areas for seabirds. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 391, 183-197. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08124

Marchant, S., & Higgins, P. J. (Eds.). (1990). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic birds: Vol. 1 Ratites to ducks (Part A). Oxford University Press.

McQuaid, C. D. (2025). Seabird abundance patterns along a Sydney-Los Angeles transect. Marine Ornithology, 53(2), 273-276. http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.53.2.1647

Menkhorst, P., Rogers, D., Clarke, R. H., Davies, J., Marsack, P., & Franklin, K. (2019). The Australian bird guide. CSIRO Publishing.

Morten, J. M., Carneiro, A. P. B., Beal, M., Bonnet-Lebrun, A.-S., Dias, M. P., Rouyer, M.-M., Harrison, A.-L., González-Solís, J., Jones, V. R., Garcia Alonso, V. A., Antolos, M., Arata, J. A., Barbraud, C., Bell, E. A., Bell, M., Bose, S., Broni, S., Brooke, M. de L., Butchart, S. H. M., . . . Davies, T. E. (2025). Global marine flyways identified for long-distance migrating seabirds from tracking data. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 34(2), Article e70004. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70004

Oke, P. R., Pilo, G. S., Ridgway, K., Kiss, A., & Rykova, T. (2019). A search for the Tasman Front. Journal of Marine Systems, 199, Article 103217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2019.103217

Ollus, V. M. S., Biuw, M., Lowther, A., Fauchald, P., Deehr Johannessen, J. E., Martín López, L. M., Gkikopoulou, K. C., Oosthuizen, W. C., & Lindstrøm, U. (2023). Large-scale seabird community structure along oceanographic gradients in the Scotia Sea and northern Antarctic Peninsula. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10, Article 1233820. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1233820

Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2025, from https://ozcam.org.au/index.html

Oppel, S., Bolton, M., Carneiro, A. P. B., Dias, M. P., Green, J. A., Masello, J. F., Phillips, R. A., Owen, E., Quillfeldt, P., Beard, A., Bertrand, S., Blackburn, J., Dee Boersma, P., Borges, A., Broderick, A. C., Catry, P., Cleasby, I., Clingham, E., Creuwels, J., . . . Croxall, J. (2018). Spatial scales of marine conservation management for breeding seabirds. Marine Policy, 98, 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.08.024

Phillips, R. A., Fort, J., & Dias, M. P. (2023). Conservation status and overview of threats to seabirds. In L. Young and E. VanderWerf (Eds.), Conservation of marine birds (pp. 33-56). Academic Press. http://doi.org/10.1016/C2020-0-03628-5

Priddel, D., Carlile, N., Evans, O., Evans, B., & McCoy, H. (2010). A review of the seabirds of Phillip Island in the Norfolk Island Group. Notornis, 57(3), 113-127.

Rayner, M. J., Baird, K. A., Bird, J., Cranwell, S., Raine, A. F., Maul, B., Kuri, J., Zhang, J., & Gaskin, C. P. (2020). Land and sea-based observations and first satellite tracking results support a New Ireland breeding site for the Critically Endangered Beck's Petrel Pseudobulweria beckii. Bird Conservation International, 30(1), 58-74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270919000145

Robertson, H. A., Baird, K. A., Elliot, G. P., Hitchmough, R. A., McArthur, N. J., Makan, T. D., Miskelly, C. M., O'Donnell, C. F. J., Sagar, P. M., Schofield, R. P., Taylor, G. A., & Michel, P. (2021). Conservation status of birds in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021 (New Zealand Threat Classification Series 36). Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai.

Rodríguez, A., Arcos, J. M., Bretagnolle, V., Dias, M. P., Holmes, N. D., Louzao, M., Provencher, J., Raine, A. F., Ramírez, F., Rodríguez, B., Ronconi, R. A., Taylor, R. S., Bonnaud, E., Borrelle, S. B., Cortés, V., Descamps, S., Friesen, V. L., Genovart, M., Hedd, A., . . . Chiaradia, A. (2019). Future directions in conservation research on petrels and shearwaters. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, Article 94. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00094

Santora, J. A., & Sydeman, W. J. (2015). Persistence of hotspots and variability of seabird species richness and abundance in the southern California Current. Ecosphere, 6(11), Article 214. https://doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00434.1

Scales, K. L., Miller, P. I., Embling, C. B., Ingram, S. N., Pirotta, E., & Votier, S. C. (2014). Mesoscale fronts as foraging habitats: Composite front mapping reveals oceanographic drivers of habitat use for a pelagic seabird. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 11(100), Article 20140679. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2014.0679

Sequeira, A. M. M., Heupel, M. R., Lea, M.-A., Eguíluz, V. M., Duarte, C. M., Meekan, M. G., Thums, M., Calich, H. J., Carmichael, R. H., Costa, D. P., Ferreira, L. C., Fernandéz-Gracia, J., Harcourt, R., Harrison, A.-L., Jonsen, I., McMahon, C. R., Sims, D. W., Wilson, R. P., & Hays, G. C. (2019). The importance of sample size in marine megafauna tagging studies. Ecological Applications, 29(6), Article e01947. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1947

Spear, L., Nur, N., & Ainley, D. G. (1992). Estimating absolute densities of flying seabirds using analyses of relative movement. The Auk, 109(2), 385-389. https://doi.org/10.2307/4088211

Sullivan, B. L., Wood, C. L., Iliff, M. J., Bonney, R. E., Fink, D., & Kelling, S. (2009). eBird: A citizen-based bird observation network in the biological sciences. Biological Conservation, 142(10), 2282-2292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.05.006

Thomson, H. M., & Gerwing, T. G. (2023). On the need to plan for increased logistical challenges in ecological projects due to impacts of a changing climate. Ocean & Coastal Management, 237, Article 106528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106528

Tilburg, C. E., Hurlburt, H. E., O'Brien, J. J., & Shriver, J. F. (2001). The dynamics of the East Australian Current system: The Tasman Front, the East Auckland Current, and the East Cape Current. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 31(10), 2917-2943. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(2001)031<2917:TDOTEA>2.0.CO;2

Ugland, K. I., Gray, J. S., & Ellingsen, K. E. (2003). The species-accumulation curve and estimation of species richness. Journal of Animal Ecology, 72(5), 888-897. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2656.2003.00748.x

Vaughan, P. M., Bird, J. P., Bretagnolle, V., Shirihai, H., Tennyson, A. J. D., Miskelly, C. M., & Clarke, R. H. (2024). A review of records and research actions for the poorly known Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma [cervicalis] occulta. Bird Conservation International, 34, Article e9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270923000382

Vaughan, P., & Viola, B. (2022). Record number of southern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialoides) off southern Australia. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 20(5), 291. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2517

Viola, B., Puskic, P., Corney, S., Barrett, N., Davies, B., Clausius, E., Jutzeler, M., & Lea, M.-A. (2024). A quantitative assessment of continuous versus structured methods for the detection of marine mammals and seabirds via opportunistic shipboard surveys. Scientific Reports, 14, Article 18796. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68512-6

Viola, B. M., Sorrell, K. J., Clarke, R. H., Corney, S. P., & Vaughan, P. M. (2022). Amateurs can be experts: A new perspective on collaborations with citizen scientists. Biological Conservation, 274, Article 109739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109739

Whitehead, E. A., Adams, N., Baird, K. A., Bell, E. A., Borrelle, S. B., Dunphy, B. J., Gaskin, C. P., Landers, T. J., Rayner, M. J., & Russell, J. C. (2019). Threats to seabirds of northern Aotearoa New Zealand. Northern New Zealand Seabird Charitable Trust.

Williams, M., Gummer, H., Powlesland, R., Robertson, H., & Taylor, G. (2006). Migrations and movements of birds to New Zealand and surrounding seas [Tech. Rep.]. New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Search by author or title:

Browse previous volumes:

Volumes > 38 (2010-->)

Volumes 28-37 (2000-09)

Volumes 18-27 (1990-99)

Volumes 5-17 (1978-89) a.k.a 'Cormorant'