Newell's shearwater Newell's shearwater The 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 It is a fairly small shearwater, in length. The wing is long and the tail is . The bird weighs . The upperparts are black with a brown tinge while
San Benedicto Island location where several seabirds of the tropical Eastern Pacific come to breed. Taxa breeding on San Benedicto are: The nearly extinct Townsend's shearwater ("Puffinus auricularis") does not seem to breed on San Benedicto, but can sometimes be seen feeding offshore. Given that there are no invasive species on San Benedicto and also no predators apart from the frigatebirds, the island might be highly suitable for establishing a new colony. Indeed, it bred here before the 1952 eruption; shearwaters are highly conservative in choosing their breeding locations, which explains why San Benedicto has not yet been recolonized. Vagrants of other species,