Great-winged petrel
| Great-winged petrel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Procellariidae |
| Genus: | Pterodroma |
| Species: | P. macroptera |
| Binomial name | |
| Pterodroma macroptera (Smith, 1840) | |
The great-winged petrel or grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma macroptera) is a petrel. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name oi and (along with other species such as the sooty shearwater) as a muttonbird.
Taxonomy
There are two recognized subspecies of P. macroptera - P. m. macroptera and P. m. gouldi, the latter of which is endemic to New Zealand, and is often called the grey-faced petrel.
Distribution
It breeds in the Southern Hemisphere between 30 and 50 degrees south with colonies on Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, the Crozet Islands, the Prince Edward Islands, the Kerguelen Islands and on the coasts of southern Australia and northern New Zealand. It is a rare vagrant to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, United States.
Description
The bird is completely dark brown except for a variable patch of white near the base of the bill, which is black. The petrel breeds on islands throughout the southern oceans. It is separated from sooty shearwater and short-tailed shearwater by the all-dark underwing, the thick, stubby bill, and different jizz. Also, the similar flesh-footed shearwater has a light, pinkish bill. Petrels in the genus Procellaria are larger and have a less bounding flight.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Pterodroma macroptera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
Further reading
- Harrison, Peter. Seabirds of the World: A Photographic Guide. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1987, ISBN 0-691-01551-1
- Marchant S, Higgins PJ (1990) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic birds, Volume 1, Part A: Ratites to Petrels, Vol. Oxford University Press, Melbourne
External links
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Wikispecies has information related to: Pterodroma macroptera |
- BirdLife International Species Fact Sheet
- , Translocation Example of the Great-Winged petrel /Oi.