Kermadec Petrel
Pterodroma neglecta
Fairly large and thickset petrel of offshore tropical and subtropical waters across the Pacific; not seen from mainland. Plumage is highly variable (white-bodied and white-headed, dark-headed, or wholly dark), but all types have a white flash on the wingtip, including diagnostic white feather shafts on upperwing, which enhance this petrel’s resemblance to jaegers and skuas. Indeed, sometimes Kermadec Petrels chase and pirate other petrels, as do jaegers and skuas. Herald Petrel is very similar, but is smaller and slimmer with a longer and more tapered tail, and lacks white shafts on upperwings.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pterodroma neglecta
- Authority
- (Schlegel, 1863)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Procellariidae
- Genus
- Pterodroma
Range and habitat
It breeds in the Pacific Ocean from Lord Howe Island to the Juan Fernández Islands. Rarely is the Kermadec petrel recorded west of Lord Howe Island, where it maintains a small colony of less than 100 individuals on Balls Pyramid. In the past it also bred in some numbers on the main islands, however, this is seen as unlikely today. The Kermadec Islands are the only place in New Zealand where this species breeds, including on the following islands of the archipelago: Nugent, Napier, Meyer, Dayrell, North Chanter, Macauley, Haszard and Cheeseman Islands. Due to predation by cats and rats, it no longer breeds on Raoul Island, where in 1908 it had an estimated population of c. 500,000 individuals.<p>Not much is known of the bird's breeding pattern at Balls Pyramid, however, it usually nests there in late summer. This coincides with the breeding patterns of other birds in the Kermadec Islands. The larger of its two subspecies, P. n. juana, also breeds on Round Island, off Mauritius, where it may sometimes hybridise with the Trindade petrel. The species is a vagrant in Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand. Reported vagrants in Pennsylvania and North Carolina in the United States and also in the United Kingdom are thought to be dubious.<p>This species is monogamous and raises a single chick each year, which becomes independent after 100–130 days. The Kermadec petrel is unusual for its wide range of breeding times, with different colonies nesting from October to February or from February to March.<p>The size of the Australian population of Pterodroma neglecta neglecta (Schlegel, 1863) remains low, partly due to ongoing predation of eggs and chicks by Purple Swamphens Porphyrio porphyrio on Phillip Island.
- Breeding range
- PO : subtropical Pacific Ocean: Round I. (ne of Mauritius, c Mascarenes, sw Indian Ocean); Lord Howe and Norfolk is. (far e of Australia), Kermadec Is. (ne of North I., New Zealand), Pitcairn to Easter (=Eastern groups; e Polynesia) and Juan Fernandez, San Ambrosio and San Felix (Desventuradas Is.; far w of nc Chile)
- Non-breeding range
- to e Australia, nw and ec Pacific to Hawaii and Peru
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sulawesi Pitta
Erythropitta celebensis
A round-bodied, short-tailed, long-legged terrestrial bird with a red belly. Broad, iridescent blue chest band is bordered with thick black lines. Reddish-brown crown shows an indistinct blue line. Also shows paler brown cheeks and green upperparts. Juvenile is brown with a pale bill base and gray eyes. Singles or pairs forage on forest floor in lowlands and foothills. Unmistakable in limited range on Sulawesi and adjacent islands. Song is a drawn-out, two-part whistle with a longer, trembling first note followed by a falling, mournful note: “waaaaaaaop-wooowow,” as is typical of the genus.
Geomalia
Zoothera heinrichi
A distinctive long-tailed thrush from Sulawesi. Graduated tail often appears abraded. Upperparts dark, with slate-colored back and wings. Wings show a rufous flash. Underparts warm rufous-orange in color, uniform in adults but variably speckled below in young birds, particularly around the throat. A shy terrestrial thrush that forages on forest floor and trails, found very locally in montane areas. Told from Island and Sulawesi Thrushes by notably longer tail, lack of black brow, and absence of dark throat. Largely silent; song unknown, but high-pitched whistle has been reported.
Gray-crowned Prinia
Prinia cinereocapilla
Small, rather stumpy-looking prinia with a highly restricted range in the south-central and southeastern Himalayan foothills. Warm brown with pale underparts and a gray crown. Favors grassy or shrubby forest edges, particularly in areas with Themeda grass. Song is a either a buzz followed by cheeps or a series of buzzy liquid trills. Most common call is a buzzy trill.
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