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Difference between revisions of "Fea's Petrel" - BirdForum Opus

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'''a.k.a. Fea's Petrel'''
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[[Image:Feas_or_Cape_Verde_Islands_Petrel.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Glen Tepke<br>Photographed:  west of [[Isles of Scilly]], UK, 6 September 2004]]
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'''Alternative name: Fea's Petrel'''
 
;[[:Category:Pterodroma|Pterodroma]] feae
 
;[[:Category:Pterodroma|Pterodroma]] feae
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[[Image:Feas_or_Cape_Verde_Islands_Petrel.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Photo by Glen Tepke<br>Photographed:  west of [[Isles of Scilly]], UK, 6 September 2004]]
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==Identification==
 
==Identification==
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Small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, ''Pterodroma''. This long-winged petrel is 33–36 cm in length with an 86–94 cm wingspan. It has a grey back and wings, with a dark "W" marking across the wings. The undersides of the wings are dark and the belly is white. This species is very similar to the [[Madeira Petrel|Zino's Petrel]], but is larger and has a thicker black bill.
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33–36 cm. Grey back and wings, dark "W" marking across the wings, dark undersides of wings, white belly.  
  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
  
 
It breeds in the north Atlantic in the [[Cape Verde Islands]] and [[Madeira Islands]] (Bugio Island).  
 
It breeds in the north Atlantic in the [[Cape Verde Islands]] and [[Madeira Islands]] (Bugio Island).  
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It is a rare visitor to waters off the eastern USA, though known only from sight records and photographs. (The American Ornithologists' Union has not accepted these records, and the American Birding Association has accepted them only as "Fea's/Zino's Petrel", to the annoyance of birders who are confident that they identified this species correctly.) It is also an extremely rare vagrant to western [[Europe]], principally [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]], though most records there are also acceptable only as "Fea's/ Zino's", with the exception of three at-sea records in British waters.
 
  
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
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''P. feae'' was previously considered to be a subspecies of the [[Soft-plumaged Petrel]], ''P. mollis'', but they are actually not closely related at all. However, ''P. feae'' is very closely related to [[Madeira Petrel|Zino's (Madeira) Petrel]], another species recently split from ''P. mollis''. They are estimated to have diverged at the end of the Early Pleistocene, 850.000 years ago (Sangster et al., 2002). Given the uncertainties of molecular dating in Procellariiformes (Rheindt & Austin, 2005), this must be considered very tentative however.
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P. feae was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Soft-plumaged Petrel, P. mollis, but they are actually not closely related at all. However, P. feae is very closely related to [[Madeira Petrel|Zino's (Madeira) Petrel]], another species recently split from P. mollis. They are estimated to have diverged at the end of the Early Pleistocene, 850.000 years ago (Sangster et al., 2002). Given the uncertainties of molecular dating in Procellariiformes (Rheindt & Austin, 2005), this must be considered very tentative however.
 
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This bird is named after the Italian zoologist Leonardo Fea.
 
  
 
==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
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Open sea.
 
==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
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Nocturnal.
  
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This endangered species nests in colonies in burrows in spring and autumn. It lays a single white egg.
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It nests in colonies in unused rabbit burrows or ones that it excavates itself. It also nests in holes in rocks; 1 white egg is laid.
  
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This seabird is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow.
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The diet includes planktonic food items from the ocean surface.
  
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It has a fast impetuous flight and picks planktonic food items from the ocean surface.
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==References==
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Wikipedia; Madeira Birds
  
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
 
{{GSearch|Pterodroma+feae}}
 
{{GSearch|Pterodroma+feae}}
 
[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Pterodroma]]
 
[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Pterodroma]]

Revision as of 22:07, 15 January 2009

Photo by Glen Tepke
Photographed: west of Isles of Scilly, UK, 6 September 2004

Alternative name: Fea's Petrel

Pterodroma feae


Identification

33–36 cm. Grey back and wings, dark "W" marking across the wings, dark undersides of wings, white belly.

Distribution

It breeds in the north Atlantic in the Cape Verde Islands and Madeira Islands (Bugio Island).

Taxonomy

P. feae was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Soft-plumaged Petrel, P. mollis, but they are actually not closely related at all. However, P. feae is very closely related to Zino's (Madeira) Petrel, another species recently split from P. mollis. They are estimated to have diverged at the end of the Early Pleistocene, 850.000 years ago (Sangster et al., 2002). Given the uncertainties of molecular dating in Procellariiformes (Rheindt & Austin, 2005), this must be considered very tentative however.

Habitat

Open sea.

Behaviour

Nocturnal.

It nests in colonies in unused rabbit burrows or ones that it excavates itself. It also nests in holes in rocks; 1 white egg is laid.

The diet includes planktonic food items from the ocean surface.

References

Wikipedia; Madeira Birds

External Links

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