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Puffinus pacificus

Ūpoa

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Adult resting, inset of pale foot	124KB
Image:	Close-up of head	140KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Wedge-tailed Shearwater; German Keilschwanz-Sturmtaucher

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ūpoa (RR MG AT PL MH RK), ‘Ūpoa (MK), ‘E‘engu / ‘E‘emu (AK), Ūpoa / Ūpō (TS TW), Kōlingo (PK NS); COMMENT: In Aitutaki ngu means "groan, moan" is probably the basis of the Aitutaki name.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Resident Breeder; Marine, pelagic, nest on Land

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Nationally endangered (seriously)

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+	+?P	+?P	+?P	-	P	-	-	-

Northern Group: +V
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+V	-	-	+Vnb	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Puffinus pacificus (Gmelin, 1789)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; AVES; NEORNITHES; Procellariiformes; PROCELLARIIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Nationally endangered (seriously). Comment: NBSAP - Takitumu (7 of 7 wild), NBSAP - Puaikura (2 of 3 wild animals)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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