Gould's Petrel
Encyclopedia
Gould's Petrel is a species of seabird
in the Procellariidae
family. It is a small petrel
, 30 cm long with a wingspan of about 70 cm. It is largely grey above and white below with a blackish crown and hindneck and a black M-shaped band across the wings and rump.
The subspecies
P. l. leucoptera breeds on Cabbage Tree Island
in New South Wales
, Australia
while P. l. caledonicus breeds in New Caledonia
and possibly in Vanuatu
and on Raivavae
in French Polynesia
. The Collared Petrel
(P. brevipes) is sometimes regarded as a third subspecies but is often split as a separate species.
In New Caledonia it nests in burrows on steep mountainsides. On Cabbage Tree Island it nests among rocks or among the roots and fallen fronds of cabbage tree palms
. Outside the breeding season, it disperses into the open seas of the subtropical and tropical Pacific, occurring as far east as the Galapagos Islands
.
It is threatened by introduced
predators such as rats, cats and pigs. On Cabbage Tree island, grazing by rabbits altered the vegetation, making the birds more vulnerable to predation. Gould's Petrels were brought back from the edge of extinction by pest eradication programs on Cabbage Tree Island and a translocation program which established a second population on nearby Boondelbah Island. The scientific efforts to save this species were supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
. http://fnpw.org.au/plants-a-wildlife/birds/goulds-petrel.
Due to these species recovery programs, the Gould’s Petrel is the first Australian bird to be downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable status under NSW legislation. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/gouldspetrelFD.htm
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
in the Procellariidae
Procellariidae
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
family. It is a small petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
, 30 cm long with a wingspan of about 70 cm. It is largely grey above and white below with a blackish crown and hindneck and a black M-shaped band across the wings and rump.
The subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
P. l. leucoptera breeds on Cabbage Tree Island
Cabbage Tree Island
Cabbage Tree Island, also known as the John Gould Nature Reserve, is an uninhabited island with an area of 300,000 m2 lying 1.4 km off the mouth of Port Stephens on the coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is named for the Cabbage-tree Palms which are a feature of the island’s rainforest...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
while P. l. caledonicus breeds in New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
and possibly in Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
and on Raivavae
Raivavae
Raivavae is an island that is part of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia.It sustains a population of 905 people on of land. Its highest point is the top of a dead volcano which is 437 meters high.It was annexed by France in 1880....
in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
. The Collared Petrel
Collared Petrel
The Collared Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family. It is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of Gould's Petrel ....
(P. brevipes) is sometimes regarded as a third subspecies but is often split as a separate species.
In New Caledonia it nests in burrows on steep mountainsides. On Cabbage Tree Island it nests among rocks or among the roots and fallen fronds of cabbage tree palms
Livistona australis
The Cabbage-tree Palm is in the Arecaceae family. It is a tall, slender palm growing up to about 25 m in height and 0.35 m diameter. It is crowned with dark, glossy green leaves on petioles 2 m long. It has leaves plaited like a fan; the cabbage of these is small but sweet...
. Outside the breeding season, it disperses into the open seas of the subtropical and tropical Pacific, occurring as far east as the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
.
It is threatened by introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
predators such as rats, cats and pigs. On Cabbage Tree island, grazing by rabbits altered the vegetation, making the birds more vulnerable to predation. Gould's Petrels were brought back from the edge of extinction by pest eradication programs on Cabbage Tree Island and a translocation program which established a second population on nearby Boondelbah Island. The scientific efforts to save this species were supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife is an Australian not-for-profit, non-government organisation that was incorporated on 29 June 1970. Its purpose is to foster the protection of Australia's native plants, animals and cultural heritage through fundraising for environmental education and...
. http://fnpw.org.au/plants-a-wildlife/birds/goulds-petrel.
Due to these species recovery programs, the Gould’s Petrel is the first Australian bird to be downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable status under NSW legislation. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/gouldspetrelFD.htm