Newell's Shearwater

Newell's Shearwater or Hawaiian Shearwater (Puffinus newelli) is a seabird belonging to the genus Puffinus in the family Procellariidae. It belongs to a confusing group of shearwaters which are difficult to identify and whose classification is controversial. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) and is now often placed in Townsend's Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis). It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands as a breeding bird. Its population is declining and it is classed as an endangered species by BirdLife International. It is named after Brother Matthias Newell, a missionary who worked in Hawaii from 1886 to 1924. It is known in Hawaiian as the ʻaʻo.