---
title: "BirdLife International considers conservation implications of recent taxonomic splits of shearwaters"
---

# BirdLife International considers conservation implications of recent taxonomic splits of shearwaters

[BirdLife International](http://www.birdlife.org)’s Global Species Programme collates information on globally threatened birds from the published literature and from a worldwide network of experts.  This is used to evaluate the status of each species using the [IUCN Red List](http://www.iucnredlist.org/) categories and criteria.

 “New information on the population or range size and trends of a species, or the threats impacting it, may indicate that a species warrants uplisting or downlisting to higher or lower categories of threat.  In such cases, BirdLife’s web-based [Globally Threatened Bird Forums](http://www.birdlife.org/globally-threatened-bird-forums/) are used to advertise the proposed change and to solicit relevant information or comment from a wide network of experts and organisations."

 The [Globally Threatened Seabird Forum](http://www.birdlife.org/globally-threatened-bird-forums/category/species-group/threatened-seabirds/) is currently considering implications arising from recent taxonomic splits of shearwaters as summarized below.

 BirdLife’s taxonomic treatment of the Little Shearwater *Puffinus assimilis*/Audubon’s Shearwater P*. lherminieri* complex is being revised to reflect improved understanding of their taxonomy, and the recently described Bryan’s Shearwater *P. bryani* is to be recognised as a species.  Audubon’s and Little Shearwaters will be provisionally listed as of Least Concern in the 2014 Red List update, whereas Bryan’s Shearwater will likely be listed as Data Deficient.

 [Click here](http://www.birdlife.org/globally-threatened-bird-forums/2014/02/the-taxonomic-treatment-of-the-little-shearwater-puffinus-assimilisaudubon%E2%80%99s-shearwater-p-lherminieri-complex-is-being-revised-and-p-bryani-is-being-recognised-as-a-species-request-fo/) for the full arrangement proposed to be adopted by BirdLife for taxa in this complex of 11 species of small shearwaters.

 BirdLife is also proposing to split Cory’s Shearwater *Calonectris diomedea sensu lato* (a proposed candidate for ACAP listing) into Scopoli’s Shearwater *C. diomedea* of the Mediterranean and Cory’s Shearwater *C. borealis* of the Macaronesian Islands.  Both species will likely be listed as of Least Concern in the 2014 Red List update ([click here](http://www.birdlife.org/globally-threatened-bird-forums/2014/02/cory%E2%80%99s-shearwater-calonectris-diomedea-is-being-split-request-for-information-on-c-diomedea-and-c-borealis/)).

 The initial deadline for comments on these changes is 7 April 2014.  However, discussions on Audubon’s Shearwater and the *Calonectris* split will remain open until at least February 2015.

 [Click here](http://www.acap.aq/index.php/en/news/news-archive/57-2012-news-archive/1179-newly-discovered-bryans-shearwater-survives-on-the-ogasawara-bonin-islands)for earlier *ACAP Latest News* accounts for the recently described Bryan’s Shearwater.

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Corys/corys_shearwater_paulo_catry.jpg)

 Cory's Shearwater, photograph by Paulo Catry

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 13 March 2014*