Gould's Petrel

Gould's Petrel
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Procellariiformes
Family:	Procellariidae
Genus:	Pterodroma
Species:	P. leucoptera
Binomial name
Pterodroma leucoptera (Gould, 1844)

Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera) is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family. It is a small petrel, 30 cm long with a wingspan of about 70 cm. It is largely grey above and white below with a blackish crown and hindneck and a black M-shaped band across the wings and rump.

The subspecies P. l. leucoptera breeds on Cabbage Tree Island in New South Wales, Australia while P. l. caledonicus breeds in New Caledonia and possibly in Vanuatu and on Raivavae in French Polynesia. The Collared Petrel (P. brevipes) is sometimes regarded as a third subspecies but is often split as a separate species.

In New Caledonia it nests in burrows on steep mountainsides. On Cabbage Tree Island it nests among rocks or among the roots and fallen fronds of cabbage tree palms. Outside the breeding season, it disperses into the open seas of the subtropical and tropical Pacific, occurring as far east as the Galapagos Islands.

It is threatened by introduced predators such as rats, cats and pigs. On Cabbage Tree island, grazing by rabbits altered the vegetation, making the birds more vulnerable to predation. Gould's Petrels were brought back from the edge of extinction by pest eradication programs on Cabbage Tree Island and a translocation program which established a second population on nearby Boondelbah Island. The scientific efforts to save this species were supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. [1].

Due to these species recovery programs, the Gould’s Petrel is the first Australian bird to be downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable status under NSW legislation. [2]

References

• BirdLife International (2011) Species factsheet: Pterodroma leucoptera. [3] Accessed on 31 October 2011.
• ICUN Red List of Threatened Species 2008. [4] Accessed on 31 October 2011.

External links

• BirdLife Species Factsheet.