Newsletter / Blog
2012-06-13 The largest number of Critically Endangered Beck’s Petrel found.
A BirdLife
International survey in southern New
Ireland, Papua New Guinea,
has encountered the largest single aggregation of Critically Endangered Beck’s
Petrel ever recorded. Upwards of 100 birds were estimated to be present at one
location. For a seabird species lost to science for 79 years until its rediscovery
in 2007 these vital new data offer a glimmer of hope.
Beck’s Petrel
Beck’s Petrel, Pseudobulweria becki, is a small,
tube-nosed seabird, which was first described by Rollo Beck, an ornithologist
and collector of museum specimens. The petrel, which now bears his name, was
previously only known from two specimens he collected in 1928 and 1929 during
an expedition to the region.
Description
A small, rather
atypical gadfly petrel. It is dark brown above and on the head and throat. It
is dark underneath the wings with a fairly distinct white wingbar. The belly
and breast are white, with a pale chin and throat. It flies with straight wings
that are slightly bent back at the tips. Beck's Petrel is noticeably smaller
than Tahiti Petrel.
Call
Unknown.
Food
Unkown.
Breeding
The breeding
grounds are still undiscovered. They are believed to nest on small islands with
tall mountains around Melanesia. Petrels, that are nocturnal at the nesting
grounds are notoriously difficult to detect.
Conservation Status – Critically endangered.
This species is
potentially threatened by predation from introduced cats and rats on its
unknown breeding grounds.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to
create a tour for you to try to find these critically endangered Petrels.
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