Gould's Petrel
| Gould's Petrel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Procellariidae |
| Genus: | Pterodroma |
| Species: | P. leucoptera |
| Binomial name | |
| Pterodroma leucoptera (Gould, 1844) | |
Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera) is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family. The common name commemorates the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould (1804-1881).[2]
Description
It is a small petrel, 30 cm long with a wingspan of about 70 cm. It is largely grey above and white below with a blackish crown and hindneck and a black M-shaped band across the wings and rump.
Distribution and habitat
Outside the breeding season, it disperses into the open seas of the subtropical and tropical Pacific, occurring as far east as the Galapagos Islands.
Subspecies
The subspecies P. l. leucoptera breeds on Cabbage Tree Island in New South Wales, Australia while P. l. caledonicus breeds in New Caledonia and possibly in Vanuatu and on Raivavae in French Polynesia. The Collared Petrel (P. brevipes) is sometimes regarded as a third subspecies but is often split as a separate species.
Breeding
In New Caledonia it nests in burrows on steep mountainsides. On Cabbage Tree Island it nests among rocks or among the roots and fallen fronds of cabbage tree palms.
Status and conservation
It is threatened by introduced predators such as rats, cats and pigs. On Cabbage Tree island, grazing by rabbits altered the vegetation, making the birds more vulnerable to predation. Gould's Petrels were brought back from the edge of extinction by pest eradication programs on Cabbage Tree Island and a translocation program which established a second population on nearby Boondelbah Island. The scientific efforts to save this species were supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. .
Due to these species recovery programs, the Gould’s Petrel is the first Australian bird to be downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable status under NSW legislation.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Pterodroma leucoptera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 145–146.
- BirdLife International (2011) Species factsheet: Pterodroma leucoptera. Accessed on 31 October 2011.