Situation with the Black Petrel tracking study as of 16 July 2026

In May this year Vulnerable Black Petrels or tākoketai Procellaria parkinsoni begun fledging, leaving their burrows on New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island/Aotea and Little Barrier Island/Te Hauturu-o-Toi and heading to Pacific waters off the coast of Ecuador (click here).  In the largest Black Petrel tracking study undertaken to date, 47 fledglings were fitted with live trackers “to help researchers better understand one of the ocean’s enduring mysteries: why do fewer than 10% of Black Petrel chicks ever return home?”

At least two of the tracked young Black Petrels, “’Ono” (six in Te Reo Māori) and “Whitu” (seven in Te Reo Māori) have now made it all the way across the Pacific to Ecuadorian waters, respectively, 16 004 km in 67 days and 20 202 km in 71 days since fledging.

Tracks of two of the Black Petrel fledglings

ACAP Latest News will continue to report on the tracking study as further information becomes available.

Follow the tracker maps here.  Information from the Facebook page of Live Ocean.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 16 July 2026

 The first positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in New Zealand has put the country on full alert

A Subantarctic or Brown Skua Catharacta antarctica found on Petone Beach, Wellington, has returned a positive test for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 bird flu) – the first record for New Zealand.  The skua was found alive on the beach by a member of the public on 10 July and taken to the Wellington Zoo where it was tested (click here for the news and a press briefing video).

The New Zealand Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has stated “This is a coastal detection in an individual ocean-going seabird and there is no evidence of any mass mortality in wildlife or transmission between wild birds in New Zealand. There has been no detection in poultry.  The situation is being closely monitored, but at this stage there is no evidence of any illness beyond this seabird. We’ve had people out on Petone beach checking and found no other issues. We will continue to monitor the beach and surrounding areas.  We ask the community to be alert and follow advice about reporting sick or dead birds. It is vital that people do not touch or handle unwell birds.   The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will continue its wider surveillance and work closely with industry, veterinarians, and wildlife carers.”

Arrival of bird flu in New Zealand follows shortly after its detection on the Australian mainland in a skua and in giant petrels Macronectes spp.  It now seems inevitable the disease will affect ACAP-listed seabirds in New Zealand, including the albatrosses and petrels that breed on its many islands.

ACAP Latest News will continue to report on the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in relation to its effects on ACAP-listed species.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 15 July 2026

 Royal Albatross Centre staff with their WAD2026 albicake

In what seems to be becoming an annual event, The Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head/Pukekura on New Zealand’s South Island baked a life-sized “albicake” to celebrate World Albatross Day (WAD2026) and its theme of “Habitat Restoration” last month.  As in previous years, it depicted an Endangered Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi.  Life-sized with outspread wings (that’s three metres!) it seems the cake did not last long before being portioned and consumed by visitors and staff alike.  Watch a fun video of the cake being made and eaten here.

The 2025/26 Royal Cam chick, “Āwheo”, photograph by Ela Hunt

WAD2026 in the Royal Albatross colony was also marked by naming the 2025/26 Royal Cam chick.  “Āwheo means ‘halo’ in Te Reo Māori and was chosen by the Department of Conservation as a fitting name linking to this year’s World Albatross Day theme of “Habitat Restoration”.  For royal albatross, that ‘halo’ is healthy sea and land - clean feeding grounds and safe breeding sites.  Āwheo reminds us to be kaitiaki [guardians] for their home, now and for generations.  It calls us to restore taiao [nature], together.”

This season’s Royal Cam chick, identified as a male, hatched on 22 January from an egg laid on 06 November 2025.  Its colour-banded parents first bred in 2022 and have fledged one previous chick following losing an egg (click here).  Watch what he is up to via a 24-hour live stream.

Baking cakes to mark World Albatross Day commenced with a competition for the inaugural World Albatross Day on 19 June 2020.  The tradition is slowly spreading with albicakes appearing on the table at events marking the day on sub-Antarctic islands and Antarctic research institutes alike. Let’s hope it spreads further and endures!

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 14 July 2026

A Flesh-footed Shearwater in the hand, photograph by Jennifer Lavers

Alix de Jersey (Tasmanian School of Medicine, Hobart, Australia) and colleagues have prepublished open access in the international journal of avian science Ibis on aspects of the physiology of the Near Threatened (and proposed ACAP listed) Flesh-footed Shearwater Ardenna carnepeis.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Life-stage transitions in seabirds involve substantial shifts in physiological demands, yet the molecular mechanisms underpinning these changes remain poorly resolved. Here we applied untargeted data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) to characterize and compare the plasma proteomes of fledgling and adult Sable Shearwaters Ardenna carneipes. Fledglings were sampled during the predeparture period, while adults were sampled in the weeks following return from migration at the onset of the breeding season. Proteomic analysis identified 726 plasma proteins, of which 306 (42%) differed significantly between the life stages. Fledglings exhibited enrichment of proteomic pathways associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) organization and glycolytic metabolism consistent with rapid growth, tissue development and metabolic preparation for departure. In contrast, adults showed enrichment of complement and coagulation pathways, and ECM remodelling, reflecting a physiological state associated with tissue and metabolic maintenance. Together, these findings demonstrate that plasma proteomics can resolve coordinated, system-level physiological differences across life stages in wild seabirds. This work provides a molecular framework for understanding developmental and adult physiology and highlights the potential of proteomics to detect subtle physiological shifts relevant to ecology and conservation.”

Reference:

de Jersey, A.M., Bond, A.L., Wilson, R., Zosky, G.R., Rivers-Auty, J. & Lavers, J.L. 2026.  Life-stage variation in Sable Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes) physiology assessed using proteomics.  Ibis doi.org/10.1111/ibi.70080.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 July 2026