Christmas Island Shearwater (Putfinus nativitatis) 
Current Status : Probably breeds annually. 
Prior Records : This species Was observed by Munro (1941) off Hihoa on May 
26^-27, 1891. Fisher (1906) reported seeing this species June 2, 1902. 
ct 
Other records are Wetmore (1923),? Vanderbilt and fee Schauensee 
(1941), Kramer and Beardsley (1962). 
Population: This species on other Hawaiian Leeward Islands Is less abundant 
than its sympatric congener, the Wedge-tailed Shearwater. This is 
also true for Hihoa. Wetmore (op. cit) estimated 20 pairs June ll~l6, 
0C \ 
1923. Vanderbilt and J0e Schauensee (op. cit; considered them to be the 
rarest bird on the island on August 7“15 j 1940. By August, however, 
the birds would have started leaving the island. Kramer and Beardsley 
(op. cit) called them "very abundant" on June 10, 1962. 
JUR\/6Y 
One hundred birds were estimated by the POBSP 4r 3f S rp of March 6, 
. 5 L party 
1964 and 800 were estimated on March 24, 1964. The POBSP - % - r i- p- of 
June 1963^ although unable to land, saw approximately 75 birds. 
Reproduction : There are only four breeding records from Hihoa. Wetmore (op. 
cit) reported egg laying and a single week-old nestling June 11-16, 
1923- Kramer and Beardsley (op. cit), on June 10, 1962, reported 
eggs and downy nestlings. Vanderbilt (op. cit) in August 1940, found 
one nestling. The POBSP - tr - P p of March 6, 1964 reported courting be¬ 
havior. 
Arrival on Hihoa in March, egg laying in late April, nestlings 
in June and July, and fledging in August and September would be character¬ 
istic of the breeding cycle on other leeward islands (P0BSf$ The 
breeding data, from Hihoa, is comparable with these dates. 
PTFtBUt 
