Vanuatus petrel
| Vanuatus petrel | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Pterodroma occulta | ||||||||||
| MJ Imber & AJD Tennyson , 2001 |
The Vanuatus petrel ( Pterodroma occulta ) is a species of seabird in the petrel family . It breeds on the Banks Islands in Vanuatu and hikes across the open Southwest Pacific.
features
The Vanuatus petrel reaches a size of approximately 35.5 cm and a weight of 300 to 350 g. The wingspan is approximately 82 cm. He has a black hood. The forehead, reins and neck are white. The back, the upper wings and the tail are dark gray-black. The rump is darker. A dark diagonal band runs across the inner half of the upper wing. The plumage on the upper side darkens over time. The under wing-coverts are white with a blackish leading edge on the outer wing, which continues as a diagonal band from the wing arch slightly to just above the white axillary feathers. The hand and arm wings are dark gray to blackish. The arm wings show a narrow, dark rear edge. The underside of the body is predominantly white. A dark gray band runs from the coat to the sides of the upper chest. The iris is dark, the beak is black, and the legs are yellowish gray. The Vanuatus petrel differs from the very similar and closely related white-naped petrel in its somewhat smaller size and in its lower wings, in which the white base of the hand wings is more limited in scope. As a result, the dense black hand wings and the black diagonal band on the under wing-coverts usually appear more prominent. The sexes are similar. The juvenile birds have not yet been described.
Vocalizations
The call consists of a fast, delayed “kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek” and a drawn “toooooo-wit”.
distribution and habitat
According to current knowledge, the Vanuatus petrel only breeds on Vanua Lava in the Banks Islands. It searches for food across the open Southwest Pacific.
Way of life
The diet includes flying fish (Exocoetidae) that attack petrels in the air, and squids (Teuthida) that are caught under the surface of the water. It is eaten during the flight. The Vanuatus petrel is a solitary species and usually accompanies flocks of gannets and noddi terns in the high seas.
Systematics
The first six specimens of this taxon were caught during the Whitney South Sea Expedition in 1926 and initially thought to be salvin petrels ( Pterodroma externa ). Thereafter, the museum specimens fell into oblivion for 50 years until they were rewritten by Robert Alexander Falla in 1976 as the dark form of the white-naped petrel ( Pterodroma cervicalis ). In 1983 a dead specimen was found on the coast of New South Wales and was apparently run over. In 2001, on the basis of molecular genetic data, a distinction was made from the white-naped petrel and the Vanuatus petrel was described as a new species.
literature
- Imber, MJ & Tennyson, AJD (2001): A new petrel species (Procellariidae) from the south-west Pacific . In: Emu 101: p. 123-127.
- Shirihai, H. & Bretagnolle, V. (2010): First observations at sea of Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma (cervicalis) occulta . In: Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 130: 132-140.
- Totterman, S. (2009): Vanuatu Petrel (Pterodroma occulta) discovered breeding on Vanua Lava, Banks Islands, Vanuatu . In: Notornis 56 (2): 57-62
- Christidis, L. & Boles, WE: Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds , p. 92, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Victoria, 2008. ISBN 978-064-306-511-6
- Onley, D. & Scofield, P .: Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World ., P. 177. A & C Black, 2009. ISBN 978-140-810-877-2