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Difference between revisions of "Great-winged Petrel" - BirdForum Opus

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Juvenile: as adult but with more distinct grey face patch.  
 
Juvenile: as adult but with more distinct grey face patch.  
[[Image:625GWDP WGONG 25FEB06 DFGa.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''Gouldi'' (Grey-faced Petrel) <br />Photo by {{user|swiss7|swiss7}}<br />Wollongong, [[Australia]], 2006]]
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[[Image:625GWDP WGONG 25FEB06 DFGa.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''P. m. gouldi'' (Grey-faced Petrel) <br />Photo by {{user|swiss7|swiss7}}<br />Wollongong, [[Australia]], 2006]]
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
 
Widespread in the Southern Oceans.
 
Widespread in the Southern Oceans.
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'''Breeds''' on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, on Crozet, Marion, Prince Edward and Keruelen Islands, perhaps also Amsterdam Island. Also breeds on islands off the south coast of [[Western Australia]] between Eclipse Island near Albany to Cape Arid and particularly on the Recherche Archipelago.
 
'''Breeds''' on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, on Crozet, Marion, Prince Edward and Keruelen Islands, perhaps also Amsterdam Island. Also breeds on islands off the south coast of [[Western Australia]] between Eclipse Island near Albany to Cape Arid and particularly on the Recherche Archipelago.
  
In [[New Zealand]] breeds on many offshore islands and at a few sites in the north of the mainland of North Island. Adults are sedentary but juveniles disperse widely and occur mainly between 300S and 500S in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the south Pacific east to about Pitcairn Island. Fairly common off southern African coasts reaching 100S off the west and 190S off the east. Common off  the south coast of Western Australia, also occurring off [[Victoria]], presumably from New Zealand breeding range.
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In [[New Zealand]] breeds on many offshore islands and at a few sites in the north of the mainland of North Island. Adults are sedentary but juveniles disperse widely and occur mainly between 30°S and 50°S in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the south Pacific east to about Pitcairn Island. Fairly common off southern African coasts reaching 10°S off the west and 19°S off the east. Common off  the south coast of Western Australia, also occurring off [[Victoria]], presumably from New Zealand breeding range.
  
 
Has been recorded near Cape Horn.
 
Has been recorded near Cape Horn.
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*''P. m. macroptera'':
 
*''P. m. macroptera'':
 
:*Breeds and ranges islands and seas in southern oceans, from Tristan da Cunha to [[Australia]]
 
:*Breeds and ranges islands and seas in southern oceans, from Tristan da Cunha to [[Australia]]
*''P. m. gouldi'': (Gray-faced): grey face patch extending to sides of face and chin and thus very similar to juvenile nominate
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*''P. m. gouldi'': (Grey-faced): grey face patch extending to sides of face and chin and thus very similar to juvenile nominate
 
:*Breeds on islands off North Island ([[New Zealand]]) and south-western Australia
 
:*Breeds on islands off North Island ([[New Zealand]]) and south-western Australia
  

Revision as of 21:10, 10 October 2014

Photo by nkgray
off Sodwana Bay, Durban, South Africa, November 2005
Pterodroma macroptera

Identification

Length 40-41cm. Wingspan 97cm
Large, dark and long-winged gadfly-petrel that can resemble the darker shearwaters.
Adult: almost entirely blackish-brown with an indistinct greyish patch around the bill-base and underwing with silvery flash across coverts. Iris brown, bill all black, short and stout, legs black.

Juvenile: as adult but with more distinct grey face patch.

Subspecies P. m. gouldi (Grey-faced Petrel)
Photo by swiss7
Wollongong, Australia, 2006

Distribution

Widespread in the Southern Oceans.

Breeds on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, on Crozet, Marion, Prince Edward and Keruelen Islands, perhaps also Amsterdam Island. Also breeds on islands off the south coast of Western Australia between Eclipse Island near Albany to Cape Arid and particularly on the Recherche Archipelago.

In New Zealand breeds on many offshore islands and at a few sites in the north of the mainland of North Island. Adults are sedentary but juveniles disperse widely and occur mainly between 30°S and 50°S in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the south Pacific east to about Pitcairn Island. Fairly common off southern African coasts reaching 10°S off the west and 19°S off the east. Common off the south coast of Western Australia, also occurring off Victoria, presumably from New Zealand breeding range.

Has been recorded near Cape Horn.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

  • P. m. macroptera:
  • Breeds and ranges islands and seas in southern oceans, from Tristan da Cunha to Australia
  • P. m. gouldi: (Grey-faced): grey face patch extending to sides of face and chin and thus very similar to juvenile nominate
  • Breeds on islands off North Island (New Zealand) and south-western Australia

Habitat

Breeds on islands or remote headlands, otherwise at sea. Shy at sea and rarely follows ships.

Behaviour

Flight

Swift and powerful, hurried with high sweeping arcs. Distinguished from darker shearwaters by bull-necked and head-down appearance and also short, thick bill. Also resembles Kerguelen Petrel P. brevirostris but larger and browner.

Diet

Squid and crustaceans with some fish.

Breeding

Breeds February to November in a burrow or under a rock or vegetation, singly or in loose colonies. Eggs: 1, white (66 x 47mm) laid in May, hatch in mid-July-August and young fledge by November.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/

Recommended Citation

External Links

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