Hutton's shearwater (Puffinus huttoni; also known in Māori as kaikōura tītī) is a medium-sized ocean-going seabird in the family Procellariidae.

Conservation measures for the bird include community initiatives to rescue birds that crash-land at night on streets in Kaikōura, and the establishment of a protected area on the Kaikōura Peninsula including a predator-proof fence, man-made burrows, and translocating fledglings from the remaining colonies.

[4] Hutton's shearwater feeds in the open ocean largely on small fish and krill, diving up to 20 m.[2] Puffinus huttoni have long bills, which are adapted to catch prey more or less underwater by plunging from a few metres above the surface or by paddling slowly forwards searching with their head submerged, then diving using partly opened wings for propulsion.

Geo-locators fitted on young birds revealed some circumnavigate Australia in an anti-clockwise direction in the 4–5 years leading up to sexual maturity.

Their burrows are at an altitude of 1200–1800 m. They formerly bred in both the Seaward and Inland Kaikōura mountains in historic times, and Māori collected the young "muttonbirds" before they could fly for food.

[9] Most reliable method of measuring breeding success and burrow occupancy is with inspection hatches, even though it causes a disturbance, they can tolerate it well.

[12] When at-sea feeding conditions are poorer, breeding success is lower so there is selective pressure on adult birds to forage adequately.

[12] Less frequent dives at dusk for other seabirds could be to reduce energy expenditure during foraging by allowing potential prey to return to the surface or because birds are returning closer to their colony before foraging as more energy is required to carry resources from a greater distance.

[14] Increased prey diversity correlates with the egg-laying and incubating stage, the birds are less specific on what they eat at this time so long as they can get food quickly and return to their burrow.

[14] Few birds may spend the early morning in close proximity to Kaikōura before travelling away, during their near-shore movements no dives were recorded however, supporting the idea that Hutton's shearwater do not forage near their colonies.

[8] The breeding birds' main predators are introduced stoats, which kill about 0.25% of adults and 12% of chicks each year in their nesting burrows.

The browsing of deer, goats, and pigs in these steep areas has contributed to erosion, which has damaged the Hutton's shearwater burrows and the population.

[16] Subsequent work in 2017 indicated the loss was 20-30% of breeding burrows, but that there was a lot of bird activity observed in the nesting areas.

[3] A predator-proof fence was built around the 2 hectares (4.9 acres) site in February 2010 by the Hutton's Shearwater Charitable Trust.

The young birds are usually unable to take off again, making them vulnerable to being run over by vehicles or succumbing to predation by dogs or cats.

A new facility, the Hutton's Hub, was opened in 2016 adjacent to the Department of Conservation office, as a place for the community to bring in crash-landed birds.

[26][27] In April 2022, the Mayor of Kaikōura said that the dark sky reserve initiative had the full support of the council, and would be a boost to tourist numbers, especially during the winter period.

[32] The Trust plans to apply for the Kaikōura township to be recognised with international dark sky community status.