The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Little Shearwater is available
HERE
.
There are four races of Little Shearwaters, which are found all around
the southern oceans, roughly southward of the tropic of Capricorn.
Races "kermadecensis" (the "Kermadec Little Shearwater") and
"haurakiensis" (the "New Zealand Little Shearwater") do not
reach Australian territory.
Little Shearwaters, nominate race
"assimilis",
populates primarily the Tasman Sea and parts of the southern Pacific
Ocean.
They only rarely reach the coastline of the Australian mainland, in an
area spanning from about Fraser Island, QLD, to the NSW/VIC border,
and along southern and eastern Tasmania.
Race "tunneyi" lives in the southern Indian Ocean.
They reach the coastline of the Australian continent in an area
from about Esperance, WA, in the South to Exmouth, WA, in the
North-west, sometimes also up to Broome, WA (-10 deg, southern
latitude). They are known to breed on islands off the coast of
WA.
Little Shearwaters are pelagic birds that spend most of
their time out on the open ocean and in coastal waters. They breed on
offshore islands.