Murphy's Petrel
Pterodroma ultima
A mainly gray or grayish brown petrel with a relatively heavy and pronounced forebody and more slender rear. Very pale faced with a relatively small, weak bill and indistinct brownish ‘M’ across back and wings. Highly pelagic, except near colonies. Great-winged Petrel is similar but uniformly brown, not gray, with a darker face. Providence Petrel is very similar but is, on average, less bulky in the forebody, appearing more slender, with a darker face. Providence also has much more contrasting white patches in the outer underwing, which in Murphy’s appear light gray at their palest. Trindade Petrel is somewhat similar, though appears more slender, and is more uniformly brown than the gray hue of Murphy’s Petrel. Silent at sea.
Identification
Murphy's petrel (Pterodroma ultima) is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. The bird is 38–41 cm length, with a 97 cm wingspan, and weighs about 360 g. Its plumage is all dark sooty-grey, except for a pale chin, and pinkish legs; it does not exhibit sexual dimorphism. It was described by Robert Cushman Murphy in 1949, which is the source of the species' common name. Murphy's petrels take unusually long feeding trips during incubation.
Taxonomy
Genus: Pterodroma; Family: Procellariidae; Order: Procellariiformes.
- Scientific name
- Pterodroma ultima
- Authority
- Murphy, 1949
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Procellariidae
- Genus
- Pterodroma
Range and habitat
Very little is known about this species of petrel. It was not until the 1980s that it was determined that these petrels might be regular visitors far offshore of North America. It occurs in the South Pacific, nesting on rocky islets and cliffs off tropical oceanic islands in the Austral, Tuamotu, and Pitcairn groups. The bird has been recorded off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands and well off the Pacific Coast of the United States and in the southern Gulf of Alaska. Most reports of Murphy's petrels are over 40 miles offshore and the species reportedly has one of the greatest foraging ranges of any breeding seabird
- Breeding range
- PO : s Tuamotu, Gambier, Austral, Pitcairn, Easter is. (=Eastern Is.) and Salas y Gomez (se Polynesia)
- Non-breeding range
- to s of Aleution Is., Gulf of Alaska and ne Pacific coast
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Saturnine Antshrike
Thamnomanes saturninus
Fairly small antshrike. Males are dark gray with a black throat. Females are tinged brown above and tawny below with a contrasting whitish throat. Found in the understory of lowland humid forest. Often leads mixed-species flocks; occasionally attends army-ant swarms. Sings a series of gradually ascending notes that ends with a harsh final note. Similar to Cinereous Antshrike, which can occur in the same flocks, but differs in throat color and in song.
Tschudi's Tapaculo
Scytalopus acutirostris
Small tapaculo of high-elevation cloud forest in the eastern Andes of northern and central Peru. Male is uniformly gray; female is paler and browner with extensive buffy barring. Similar to several other tapaculos and best identified by range, habitat, and voice. Inhabits understory of wet, mossy forest. Typical song is very long; it starts with well-spaced chip notes and gradually morphs into bursts of rattling trills.
Yellow Longbill
Macrosphenus flavicans
An unusual warbler with a long bill and yellow eyes. Brownish above and dull yellow below with a gray head and whitish throat. Found in rainforest, mainly in dense tangles at middle levels, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar in appearance to other longbills, but with a good view, separated by the coloration of the underparts. Most often detected by the distinctive song: a long series of clear whistled notes in which each note is slightly lower in pitch. The pattern is similar to that of Sabine’s Puffback, and the individual notes sound very batis-like.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.