Cook's petrel

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Cook's petrel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Pterodroma
Species:
P. cookii
Binomial name
Pterodroma cookii
(G.R. Gray, 1843)
Synonyms

Procellaria cookii G. R. Gray, 1843

Procellaria velox G. R. Gray, 1844 (nomen novum)

Pterodroma cookii orientalis Murphy, 1929

Cook's petrel (Pterodroma cookii), or the tītī or blue-footed petrel,

Procellariform seabird. It is a member of the gadfly petrels and part of the subgenus Cookilaria Bonaparte, 1856, which includes the very similar Stejneger's petrel
.

Morphology

Cook's petrel mount from the collection of Auckland Museum
Cook's petrel mount from the collection of Auckland Museum

One of the smallest petrels, Cook's petrel is typically 25–30 cm (9.8–11.8 in) in length with a 65–66 cm (26–26 in) wingspan and a weight of around 200 g (7.1 oz). Its colouration is typical of gadfly petrels: pale grey upperparts with a dark grey "M" on the wings and white underparts.[3]

The bill is long and black with tubular nostrils on both sides. As in all members of the order Procellariiformes, this nostril configuration enables an exceptionally acute sense of smell, which the birds use to locate food and nest sites in the dark.

Diet

Cook's petrel feeds mostly on

pelagic except when nesting
.

Habitat

Cook's petrel photographed in Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand

Cook's petrel breeds only in

burrows and rock crevices, preferring sites on thickly forested ridges. Its call is a three-part kek, kek, kek.[4] The species was formerly more numerous; the current population estimate is 1,258,000 and declining. It is classified as vulnerable because it breeds on only three small islands. While Little Barrier Island's population remains stable, the other two populations are decreasing. On Great Barrier Island, introduced pigs, dogs, rats and cats attack nests and burrows, as do native weka (a flightless rail), preying on eggs and nestlings and reducing the population from an estimated 20,000 to 100[citation needed
].

Cook's petrel migrates to the Pacific Ocean from New Zealand when it is not breeding. It has sometimes been seen off the west coast of the United States and off the west coast of tropical South America.

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697975A132616449.en
    . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Cook's petrel | New Zealand Birds Online".
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0198508311
    .
  4. ^ Harrison, P.; Perrow, M.; Larsson, H. (2021). Seabirds: The New Identification Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. 1-600 (400).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pterodroma cookii.
Wikispecies has information related to Pterodroma cookii.


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