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New Zealand is the seabird capital of the world – no other country has so many species of breeding seabirds, while about a third of them are only found here. Despite this, many New Zealanders have little awareness of them, or know of the remarkable life histories that enable them to tackle the considerable challenges of a life divided between land and ocean. This book, the first to be written specifically about New Zealand's seabirds, describes the different groups of seabirds, where in New Zealand they occur, their breeding biology, foods and foraging behaviours, the conservation threats they face, and the vast distances they often travel to feed and breed. New Zealand Seabirds will open your eyes to the unknown worlds of better-known seabirds such as albatrosses and penguins, as well as the equally fascinating lives of such birds as shearwaters, petrels and prions. Written using non-technical language by ornithologist Kerry-Jayne Wilson, this book is an essential companion for anyone who appreciates the wildlife of our coastlines and the oceans beyond.
As an undergraduate student, Kerry-Jayne Wilson stood on the cliffs of the sub-Antarctic Snares Islands and watched penguins, shearwaters, petrels and albatrosses head out to sea and wondered where they went, how they caught food and how they navigated the open ocean. These questions have intrigued her ever since and led her to undertake conservation-related research on seabirds in New Zealand, the Chathams and sub-Antarctic Islands, the Southern Ocean, Antarctica, Newfoundland and briefly in several other parts of the world. She was a senior lecturer in ecology and conservation at Lincoln University for many years and has worked for the last 12 years as an ornithologist, natural-history writer and educator. New Zealand Seabirds is her fourth book. In 2019 she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to seabird conservation. She lives on the South Island's West Coast
