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New Caledonian Storm Petrel - BirdForum Opus

Adult
Photo © by Tom Tarrant
Off Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 6 May 2023
Fregetta lineata

Identification

  • Most of upperside blackish-brown
  • A U-shaped whitish area on rump wraps around to meet the underside, and is bordered in brownish
  • Some feathers on mantle and scapulars may be white-tipped
  • Upperwing color blackish brown with coverts slightly browner.
  • Head, neck, throat (may show whitish effects in worn plumage), and upper breast blackish
  • Lower breast, belly and flanks white with black streaking
  • Underside of wings mostly blackish with a white panel mainly consisting of median and greater secondary coverts. Some of these may have black centers leading to a very restricted white area.

Distribution

Distribution poorly known. Breeds in New Caledonia (east of Australia); reported at sea from the Coral Sea (breeding season foraging area?) east to Samoa and the Marquesas Islands (nonbreeding range?)

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Article re-describing the species appeared in 2022.

Habitat

At sea for foraging. Exact location and habitat used for breeding is unknown.

Behaviour

Timing of observations means that this species might be breeding in New Caledonia during southern winter.

Vocalisation

Assumed to give whistled sounds similar to what is known in other members of the genus Fregetta.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Post in Birdforum thread discussing the description of this species (see post #16)
  3. Paper describing this species.

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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