Whenua Hou diving petrel

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Whenua Hou diving petrel

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Pelecanoides
Species:
P. georgicus
Subspecies:
P. g. whenuahouensis
Trinomial name
Pelecanoides georgicus whenuahouensis
Fischer et al., 2018

The Whenua Hou diving-petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus whenuahouensis) is a highly endangered subspecies of the South Georgia diving petrel that is endemic to New Zealand.[2]

The subspecies was

Whenua Hou island. There, it displays the unique nesting practice of burrowing into the sand dunes overlooking Sealers Bay, unlike the South Georgia diving petrel which nests on rocky slopes or flat land.[4]

Based on subfossil remains, this subspecies formerly nested on Auckland Island and Stewart Island, and possibly on the Chatham and Macquarie islands as well. It was extirpated from Auckland due to nest destruction by New Zealand sea lions,[5] while on Stewart it was extirpated due to nest predation by the introduced Polynesian rat.[6] The remaining population itself is highly threatened by storm events; one such event in 2003 led to the collapse of many dunes, killing many birds. They are also threatened by the advance of coastal forest and invasive grasses and herbs over the dunes,[4] as well as sea level rise due to climate change.[7] While the petrel's foraging areas are unknown, an oil spill over this area would be devastating for this subspecies.[4]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T155187257A155188651.en
    . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Petrels, albatrosses"
    . IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. PMID 29949581
    .
  4. ^ a b c "South Georgian diving petrel | New Zealand Birds Online". www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  5. ^ "South-Georgia Diving Petrel - Polar Conservation Organisation". Polar Conservation Organisation. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  6. S2CID 140188250.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  7. ^ "New species, the Whenua Hou diving petrel, discovered near Stewart Island". Newshub. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2018-06-29.

External links

  • The Whenua Hou diving petrel (as the South Georgia diving petrel) on RNZ Critter of the Week, 29 July 2016
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