Black wave runner

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Black wave runner
Black wave runner

Black wave runner

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Tubular noses (Procellariiformes)
Family : Northern petrels (Hydrobatidae)
Genre : Wave runner ( Oceanodroma )
Type : Black wave runner
Scientific name
Oceanodroma melania
( Bonaparte , 1854)

The black-wave runner ( Oceanodroma melania ), also called Melaniasturmschwalbe , is a 21-23 centimeter large bird species from the northern petrel family .

Appearance

This bird species has black back plumage. The head, legs, top of wings, tail and feathers at the base of the legs are black. The beak and legs are also completely black. The beak is curved down in front. A black, small elongated tube sits on the beak. The throat and belly are light gray. Noticeable are 2 thick light gray stripes on the upper side of the wing near the base of the wing. The tail is forked. Males and females do not differ from one another externally in terms of plumage.

distribution and habitat

The black wave runner occurs in the eastern part of the North Pacific from California to Peru . This species inhabits the coastal waters and the high seas . In winter they move to more southern regions.

Way of life

Its food is plankton , small fish and lobster larvae , which it looks for in the open sea. When foraging for food, they suddenly plunge down from a great height onto the surface of the sea to pick them up with their beak. After that, they usually immediately take to the skies again, and only very rarely do they float on the surface of the water. The maximum age is around 15 years.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity is only reached at the age of 4 or 5 years. This species only breeds on the offshore islands of Baja California . The female lays only one very large, white egg, which is deposited in a cave or a crevice. The incubation period is up to 50 days. The young are fed pre-digested fish and stomach oil. The young leave the nest for the first time at the age of 60 days.

Danger

Because of its wide distribution and because no endangerments are known for this species, the IUCN classifies this species as Least Concern .

literature

  • The great world empire of the animals Page: 202,203 Planet Medien AG Zug 1997 ISBN 3-8247-8614-1
  • Encyclopedia of the Animal World, Birds Page: 54 Orbis Verlag GmbH Munich 2003 ISBN 3-572-01378-X
  • THE BLV Encyclopedia Birds of the World Page: 75 BLV Buchverlag GmbH & Co. KG Munich 2004 ISBN 3-405-16682-9

Web links

Commons : Black Wave Runner  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files