2 
because they are known to strike 
windows, cars, and lighthouses. 
Since the birds feed exclusively at 
sea where the trade winds blow, 
they are dependent on the wind to 
make their graceful banking and 
gliding .flight efficient. They have 
evolved long thin wings which makes 
this kind of flight possible at the 
expense of maneuverability and con- 
trol at slow speeds. As a result 
they "brake” poorly before landing 
and tend to crash-land more often 
than not. 
We have attempted to relocate 
their nesting sites and over 50 
birds have been banded and released. 
Observations of their distribution 
at sea have shown that they disperse 
widely after their breeding cycle 
is completed. They have been re- 
corded on Johnston Atoll. Wake 
Island, and the Marianas. The ex- 
act limits of their migration are 
still unknown but we suspect they 
head mainly southeast from Kauai in 
October and return in April. 
Newell’s Shearwater is more 
likely to be seen at sea than on 
islands. It may be told from other 
seabirds by its black upper parts, 
white underparts and greyish hooked 
bill. In flight it holds its wings 
stiffly and intersperses rapid wing- 
beats with graceful glides. Care 
must be taken not to confuse this 
bird with the more common shear- 
waters or petrels of the Pacific. 
Because it has become rare, its 
range and movements are of special 
interest to ornithologists. Any 
information on this bird is of great 
importance to us. 
-Warren B. King 
Two Newell’s Shearwaters at Kilauea Point, Kauai. The traces of soft downy 
feathers clinging to the back of the neck of the bird. in the foreground 
indicate that it has just recently left its nest. , „ 
° Photo by Warren B. King 
