- Pseudobulweria rostrata
Pterodroma rostrata
Identification
39 cm. Dark brown upperparts, pale upper tail coverts, dark brown underwing, throat, dark brown upper chest sharply demarcated from white underparts.
Distribution
Samoa, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Mexico, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and possibly the Cook Islands.
Taxonomy
Beck's Petrel has been split from Tahiti Petrel.
Pseudobulweria vs. Pterodroma
Clements (2010) and Sibley & Monroe (1996) place Mascarene Petrel, Tahiti Petrel, Beck's Petrel and Fiji Petrel in Pterodroma. However, Howard & Moore, 2003, Brooke 2004, Christidis & Boles 2008, and Gill & Donsker 2010 recognise the genus Pseudobulweria.
Habitat
Moist lowland forests, montanes, shrubland, open seas and rocky shores.
Behaviour
Eggs are laid in burrows on rocky slopes or in open upland forest.
