New Zealand Storm Petrel - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Jeff Hopkins
Pelagic trip, Marsden Cove, North Island, New Zealand, 29 January 2023

Fregetta maoriana

Oceanites maorianus

Identification

Dark brown/black above, white rump, black underparts, white belly with black streaking.

Distribution

New Zealand. This species was considered extinct with the last specimen from 1850 until it was rediscovered in 2003.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.
It's sometimes placed in genus Oceanites.

Habitat

Photo © by Tom Tarrant
Near Little Barrier Island, North Island, New Zealand

At sea, and is pelagic outside the breeding season.

Behaviour

Nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow.

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. Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2011. IOC World Bird Names (version 2.10). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) New Zealand Storm Petrel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/New_Zealand_Storm_Petrel

External Links

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