Audubon's shearwater ill-resolved clade also including such species as the little shearwater, the Manx shearwater ("P. puffinus") or the black-vented shearwater ("P. opisthomelas"). The little-known Heinroth's shearwater ("P. heinrothi") is sometimes considered a subspecies of either Audubon's or the little shearwater. Though it is likely to be another member of that close-knit group, its actual relationships remain uncertain due to lack of specimens. Audubon's shearwater itself has around 10 subspecies. Several have at one time or another been suggested to constitute separate species. For example, the Galápagos Islands population has turned out to be a very distinct species, the Galápagos shearwater ("P.
Cape Byron Marine Park identifies the migratory little tern "(Sterna albifrons)" and the Beach stone-curlew "(Esacus neglectus)" as endangered. Seabirds that utilize the Cape Byron Marine Park are the providence pretal "(Pterodroma solandri)", flesh-footed shearwater "(Puffinus carneipes)", and the masked booby "(Sula dactylatra)" which are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Although no invertebrates have been identified as endangered or vulnerable, it is important to acknowledge that there are a plethora of invertebrates within the Cape Byron Marine Park which are critical to the health of the local ecosystems. These include a variety of molluscs such as the gold ring cowries