Herald Petrel
Pterodroma heraldica
Medium-sized, lightly built petrel of offshore tropical waters across the Pacific; not seen from mainland. Plumage is highly variable (from white-bodied and dark-headed to wholly dark) and often very similar to larger and broader-winged Kermadec Petrel, which has a shorter and broader tail than Herald. Herald has white flashes on underside of wingtips, but lacks white shafts on upperside, which are diagnostic of Kermadec. Both species visit colonies in daytime, when pairs chase around high overhead.
Identification
The bird is 35–39 cm (14–15 in) in size, with an 88–102 cm (35–40 in) wingspan. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Trindade petrel and Henderson petrel.<p>This petrel has various colour morphs: dark and light, as well as intermediates between the two.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pterodroma heraldica
- Authority
- (Salvin, 1888)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Procellariidae
- Genus
- Pterodroma
Range and habitat
The Herald petrel nests on oceanic islands and atolls, on cliff ledges, ridges or rocky slopes. On some islands, nesting birds are threatened by feral cats and rats.<p>Found primarily in the south Pacific, it has been seen in Hawaii.In May 2007, a Herald petrel tagged on Raine Island in 1984 was observed off the coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. This greatly increases the known life span and range of the species. In 2009 it was identified as this species, from what was previously an unidentified Pterodroma species, to be breeding on Round Island, 22 km (14 mi) north of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.<p>In August 2017, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) staff confirmed a Herald petrel chick had hatched on Raine Island after sighting an adult Herald petrel taking care of a single egg in a nest in June 2017. The sighted chick was the first time a Herald petrel was seen to breed in 30 years. Raine Island is the only known Herald petrel breeding site in Australia.
- Breeding range
- IO, PO : Round I. (ne of Mauritius, c Mascarenes, sw Indian Ocean); Raine I. (few; ne Australia), Chesterfield Reefs (New Caledonia), Tonga and Samoa (c Polynesia) to s Cook, Austral, Marquesas, Tuamotu and Pitcairn groups and Rapa Nui (Easter=Eastern Is. group, se Polynesia)
- Non-breeding range
- to Peru Current
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
This species is evaluated as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.<p>It is listed as critically endangered under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), effective July 2002, and under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 (November 2021 list). While there was previously a recovery plan in effect for the species from 2005 to 2015, as it has a high level of protection from government agencies, with relatively few, well-managed threats on the Raine Island population, there is no recovery plan operational as of July 2022[update].[5]<p>A 2018 study ranked the species ninth in a list of Australian birds most likely to go extinct.[6]
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Golden-crowned Spadebill
Platyrinchus coronatus
Tiny bird of forest undergrowth, named for exceptionally broad bill (difficult to see). Very small and short-tailed. Brownish-olive above and pale yellowish below, with black pattern on cheek. Throat and breast uniformly buffy, without contrasting white throat. Crown dull rufous with hidden golden center. Sexes alike. Gives a very high insectlike trill. Usually seen singly or in pairs, always in the lower levels of the forest. Inconspicuous.
Sooty Barbthroat
Threnetes niger
Rare hummingbird known only from French Guiana and adjacent areas of northern Brazil. Plumage is mostly dull grayish-green with a darker face and throat separated by a pale mustache stripe. It lacks the orange throat band and white tail markings of the otherwise similar Pale-tailed Barbthroat. Inhabits humid forest, especially scrubby clearings, forest edge, and along watercourses.
Pale-breasted Illadopsis
Illadopsis rufipennis
A chunky, mid-sized, remarkably drab babbler with a white throat and brownish breast. Found in the understory of rainforest at low and middle elevations, usually in small groups. Shy and skulking; rarely seen unless searched for. Very similar to Brown Illadopsis, but slightly different vocally, with higher and more inflected whistles. Also slightly paler below and more richly colored above, with a cleaner white throat. Most often detected by voice. The highly variable song consists of single-note pure whistles or short whistled phrases separated by pauses, often in a three-note ascending series; listen for a haunting clear monotone whistle. Also gives scolding calls, sometimes accompanying the whistled song.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.