Newell's Shearwater - Systematics

Systematics

It was described as a new species Puffinus newelli in 1900 by the American ornithologist Henry Wetherbee Henshaw using specimens obtained by Brother Matthias Newell from residents of Maui. It was later included by some authors in the Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) as was Townsend's Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis). Later, Townsends's Shearwater was raised back to species status with Newell's Shearwater as a subspecies of it. This taxonomy was followed by the American Ornithologists' Union from the sixth edition of its checklist onwards.

However Newell's differs from Townsend's Shearwater in various measurements and has a different breeding season and marine habitat. It is now often treated as a separate species, e.g. by BirdLife International following Brooke (2004). In 2004, a study of mitochondrial DNA sequences suggested a close relationship between Rapa Shearwater and Newell's Shearwater and the authors proposed that Rapa Shearwater be treated as a subspecies of P. newelli pending further study. The Rapa Shearwater is usually treated as a subspecies of Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) and named Puffinus assimilis myrtae. It breeds on the island of Rapa in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia where it is known locally as the kaki kaki.