Pintado Petrel
Daption capense
Fairly small and very distinctively patterned petrel of cool southern waters; regular migrant north to Humboldt Current. A “professional” ship follower in the Southern Ocean, often in groups that circle a vessel for hours. Extent of white spotting on upperparts rather variable, but no other petrel has this white-spattered or “painted” pattern; pintado means painted in Spanish and is also an anagram of the genus name, Daption.
Identification
The Cape petrel has a black head and neck, and a white belly, breast, and its underwing is white with a black border. Its back, and upperwings are black and white speckled, as is its tail which also has a band of black. When fully grown, their wings span 80–90 cm (31–35 in) and they are 35–40 cm (14–16 in) long.
Taxonomy
The Cape petrel was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Procellaria capensis. Linnaeus cited the "white and black spotted peteril" that had been described and illustrated in 1747 by the English naturalist George Edwards in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. The Cape petrel is now the only species placed in the genus Daption that was introduced in 1826 by English naturalist James Francis Stephens. The genus name Daption is an anagram of the Portuguese name "Pintado" which was given to the species by navigators because of its piebald plumage. Pintado is from Latin pinctus meaning "painted". The specific epithet capense signifies the Cape of Good Hope, the locality where the type specimen was collected. The word petrel is derived from Saint Peter and the story of his walking on water. This is in reference to the petrel's habit of appearing to run on the water to take off.<p>All Procellariiformes share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. They produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defence against predators and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. Finally, they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose.<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Daption capense
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Procellariidae
- Genus
- Daption
Range and habitat
During breeding season, Cape petrels feed around Antarctica's shelf and during the winter they range further north, as far as Angola and the Galapagos Islands. They breed on many islands of Antarctica and the subantarctic islands, some going as far as the Auckland Islands, the Chatham Islands, Campbell Island. Their main breeding grounds are on the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, the Balleny Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, as well as islands in the Scotia Sea.
- Breeding range
- SO, AN : subantarctic and Antarctic is. and coasts
- Non-breeding range
- to tropics in cold waters of Benguela Current of s Africa, s Australasia and Humboldt Current of South America n to Ecuador and s Brazil
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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The largest nuthatch in North America, with distinctive white face, black cap, and blue-gray upperparts. Also note rusty lower belly and undertail coverts. Females have a slightly paler crown than males. Fairly common and widespread, usually in mature woodlands with large trees. Creeps along tree trunks and branches, often upside-down. Sometimes joins mixed flocks with other songbirds. Visits feeders. Listen for insistent yammering calls. Some subtle variation across range, mainly in the darkness of the sides and back, width of the black crown, and vocalizations.
Buckley's Forest-Falcon
Micrastur buckleyi
Elusive falcon of lowland and foothill rainforest east of the Andes. Note black upperparts, white underparts, white hindcollar, and dull yellow face. Female may show white spots on wings. Immature is barred underneath with brownish nape. Adult is very similar to pale morph Collared Forest-Falcon but slightly smaller; ID is best confirmed by voice. Typical song of Buckley’s is “kawah, koh”, sometimes followed by a lower “koh” note. Usually stays inside forest and is infrequently seen.
Black-and-white Monjita
Heteroxolmis dominicana
Large, slim flycatcher with a fairly long tail. Males are mostly white with black wings and tail. Females have a grayish crown and back; note the white rump and white wingbar. Occurs in marshes and damp natural grasslands, occasionally in coastal dunes. Usually silent. The smaller White Monjita has less black in the wings and tail.
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