- Pterodroma arminjoniana
Identification
35-39 cm in size, with a 88-102 cm wingspan.
Distribution
Breeds on Trindade and Martin Vaz islands off the coast of Brazil in the South Atlantic, and on Round Island near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Rare but regular on pelagic trips off the coast of North Carolina, USA.
A special problem are birds breeding on Round Island in the Indian Ocean: these are constituted of bird arisen through resent settlement on the island and seems to be hybrid mixes with ancestry from both of the taxa contained here and from the Kermadec Petrel.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species. The Atlantic and Indian Ocean populations may be separate subspecies.
Formerly considered conspecific with Herald Petrel and Henderson Petrel under the name Herald Petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana.
Habitat
Pelagic, nesting on cliff ledges, ridges or rocky slopes on oceanic islands, atolls.
Behaviour
Nesting happens on surface as opposed to in burrows, and visits to the nest takes place in the afternoon into evening rather than at night only
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- SACC proposal to split into two species which also contains behavior notes