Tahitian petrel
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Tahitian petrel ( Pseudobulweria rostrata ) |
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| Pseudobulweria rostrata | ||||||||||
| ( Peale , 1848) |
The Tahiti Petrel ( Pseudobulweria rostrata ) is a bird art from the family of the petrels. The species occurs predominantly in the southern hemisphere over the tropical and subtropical Pacific. The IUCN has the Tahitian petrel on its warning list near threatened and estimates the population at 20,000 sexually mature individuals.
Appearance
The Tahitian petrel reaches a body length of 38 to 40 centimeters. The wingspan of the nominate form is 84 centimeters. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism .
Adult Tahitian petrels have a dark brown head and neck. In contrast, the white belly and the white lower breast stand out sharply. The upper side of the body is a single color, dark brown, only the upper tail cover has a pale brown spot. The iris is dark brown, the beak is black. The legs and feet are flesh-colored.
It can be confused with the phoenix petrel , which has a similar plumage. It's a little smaller; the head appears somewhat larger in relation to the body size, the wings shorter. The wing beat of the Tahitian petrel also seems a bit calmer.
Distribution area
The Tahitian petrel is a deep sea bird that occurs predominantly over tropical waters and can occasionally also be observed over warmer subtropical waters. Outside of the breeding season, it avoids near-coast waters and mostly stays far away from land masses. Flight is quieter than most petrels, especially when compared to hook shearwater . Long gliding flights, which are interrupted by short flight phases with flat wing beats, are typical. It is seldom seen in loose flocks, especially in places rich in food it is occasionally socialized with other seabirds . He usually also avoids the vicinity of ships and at best follows them at a great distance.
The breeding islands include the Marquesas , Society Islands , Fiji , New Caledonia , French Polynesia, and American Samoa .
Way of life
The Tahitian petrel way of life is not very well studied. It breeds in earthworks on stony slopes or in open forest areas. According to the current state of knowledge, there is no specific breeding season, the birds can brood all year round. In Tahiti, however, Tahitian petrels breed mainly between March and July. Newly discovered breeding colonies in New Caledonia all consist of fewer than ten breeding pairs. The individual nests are far apart.
The species is listed by the IUCN at the advance warning level because the populations are declining and the species is endangered by mammals introduced on the breeding islands. Rats are a threat to the species in the Marquesas and Society Islands . It is very likely that house rats have been around these islands for several decades, so they do not appear to be a major threat. Young birds are attracted to lights during the night, which is a problem especially in the larger settlements of Tahiti and New Caledonia. In the mountains of French Polynesia, overhead power lines are also a threat to the Tahitian petrels that breed on the islands. In addition to rats, feral pigs, cats and dogs are also a threat to the breeding colonies that still exist on Grande-Terre . On the small islands off the coastline of Grand-Terre, however, it has been possible to at least exterminate the rats.
supporting documents
literature
- PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds , Volume 1, Ratites to Ducks, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1990, ISBN 0195530683
Web links
- BirdLife Factsheet on the Tahitian Petrel
- Pseudobulweria rostrata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed November 17, 2012th
Single receipts
- ↑ a b BirdLife Factsheet on the Tahitian Petrel , accessed May 28, 2011
- ^ Higgins, p. 432
- ^ Higgins, p. 433