Bryan's shearwater is a species of shearwater that may occur around the Hawaiian Islands. It is the smallest species of shearwater and is black and white with a bluish gray beak and blue tarsi. First collected in 1963 and thought to be a little shearwater it was determined using DNA analysis to be distinct in 2011. It is rare and possibly threatened and there is little information on its breeding or non-breeding ranges. The species is named after Edwin Horace Bryan Jr. a former curator of the B. P. Bishop Museum at Honolulu.
Region
Northwest and Central Pacific Ocean
Typical Environment
This pelagic seabird spends most of its life over open ocean, ranging across the subtropical Northwest Pacific with records around the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands and occurrences reported toward the central Pacific near Hawai‘i. At sea it forages far from land, often over productive waters and along current boundaries. Breeding is known from small islets with limited human disturbance. Non-breeding distribution remains poorly documented and may include wide-ranging dispersal across the North Pacific.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 100 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Bryan's shearwater is the smallest known shearwater and was only recognized as a distinct species in 2011 after DNA analysis of earlier specimens. It is black-and-white with a bluish-gray bill and blue tarsi. The species is extremely rare and breeds in very small numbers, with confirmed nesting in the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands of Japan. It is named in honor of Edwin Horace Bryan Jr., former curator at the B. P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
Temperament
wary and pelagic
Flight Pattern
low shearing flight with short rapid wingbeats and glides
Social Behavior
Breeds in very small colonies or scattered pairs, nesting in crevices or burrows on predator-free islets. Nocturnal at colonies, arriving and departing under cover of darkness to avoid predators. Forms small groups at sea and may associate loosely with other shearwaters while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
At colonies it gives soft, quavering calls and chatter-like notes, mostly at night. Vocalizations are subdued compared with some other shearwaters and can be difficult to detect in windy conditions.
