Macgillivray Petrel

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Macgillivray Petrel
Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Tubular noses (Procellariiformes)
Family : Petrels (Procellariidae)
Genre : Pseudobulweria
Type : Macgillivray Petrel
Scientific name
Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi
( Gray , 1860)

The Macgillivray Petrel ( Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi ) is a rare seabird of the genus Pseudobulweria within the family of Petrel . Occasionally it is placed in the genus of the hook shearwater ( Pterodroma ). He's on Gau in the Fiji Islands endemic . The type epithet honors the Scottish naturalist John MacGillivray (1821–1867).

features

The Macgillivray petrel reaches a length of 28 centimeters. It is generally blackish brown with a short neck and a powerful black bill. His appearance is stocky and stocky. In flight, the under wing-coverts show a bright silvery sheen. The barrel is washed out in light blue. The feet are mostly black with a light blue spot on each web.

distribution

The only known breeding area of ​​this species is on the Fiji island of Gau. The reasons for the diet are unknown. It is possible that the birds search for food on the sea several hundred kilometers from Gau.

Existence and endangerment

With an estimated population of less than 50 animals in 2007, the Macgillivray petrel is one of the rarest sea birds in the world. The holotype - a young bird caught in October 1855 and now kept in the British Museum - was the only known specimen for a long time. After Rollo Beck's search expeditions failed in February 1925 and John Smart in October 1971, an adult bird was caught, measured, photographed and then released again in April 1984. There have been 17 more observations since 1985. In April 2007 an injured Macgillivray petrel was discovered in the village of Levukaigau on Gau and died shortly afterwards. The specimen was preserved and served the ornithologist Dick Watling as a study object. In May 2009 the first observation of this species was made over the waters near the island of Gau.

The main threat is stalking by rats and feral cats. In order to make the population aware of the endangerment of the Macgillivray petrel, this bird was chosen as the motif for the first 50 dollar note of the Fiji Islands.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ World Bird List Volume 2 of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), 2008 ( Memento of the original from April 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.worldbirdnames.org
  2. ^ Josep del Hoyo et al .: Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 1 (Ostrich to Ducks). Lynx Edicions, 1992, ISBN 84-87334-10-5

literature

  • Josep del Hoyo et al .: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, 1992, ISBN 84-87334-10-5 .
  • Erik Hirschfeld (2008): The Rare Birds Yearbook 2009, MagDig Media Ltd., Shrewsbury ISBN 978-0-9552607-5-9
  • Warren B. King on the behalf of the International council for bird preservation (ICBP) and the Survival service commission of IUCN (1978-1979): Red Data Book 2: Aves (2nd edition). IUCN, Morges, Switzerland. ISBN 0-87474-583-7
  • Resolving an Enigma: Conservation Management of the Fiji Petrel PDF file

Web links