Phoenix Petrel
Encyclopedia
The Phoenix Petrel, Pterodroma alba is a medium-sized, up to 35 cm (13.8 in) long, tropical seabird
with a wingspan of . It has a dark brown upperparts plumage, white below and whitish throat. Both sexes are similar.
The Phoenix Petrel is found throughout oceans and coastal areas in the central Pacific Ocean
. Their colonies can be found on Phoenix
, Tonga
, Kiritimati
, Tuamotu, Marquesas and Pitcairn Island. Females lay one white egg on the ground surface. The diet consists mainly of squid, fish and crustaceans.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, predation by invasive species
and human exploitation, the Phoenix Petrel is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
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...
with a wingspan of . It has a dark brown upperparts plumage, white below and whitish throat. Both sexes are similar.
The Phoenix Petrel is found throughout oceans and coastal areas in the central Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Their colonies can be found on Phoenix
Phoenix Islands
The Phoenix Islands are a group of eight atolls and two submerged coral reefs, lying in the central Pacific Ocean east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands. They are a part of the Republic of Kiribati. During the late 1930s they became the site of the last attempted colonial...
, Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, Kiritimati
Kiritimati
Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands, and part of the Republic of Kiribati....
, Tuamotu, Marquesas and Pitcairn Island. Females lay one white egg on the ground surface. The diet consists mainly of squid, fish and crustaceans.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, predation by invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
and human exploitation, the Phoenix Petrel is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.