Phoenix petrel

{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | image = Pterodroma alba - June 2024.jpg | image_caption = off Oeno Island | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2022 |title=''Pterodroma alba'' |volume=2022 |article-number=e.T22698001A183088698 |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22698001/183088698|access-date=26 July 2022}}</ref> | genus = Pterodroma | species = alba | authority = (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | synonyms =

''Procellaria alba'' Gmelin, 1789<ref name = "Loomis"/> ''Procellaria parvirostris'' Peale, 1848<ref name = "Loomis"/> ''Rhantistes parvirostris'' Bp, 1856<ref name = "Streets"/> ''Æstrelata parvirostris'' Coues, 1866<ref name = "Streets"/> ''Œstrelata parvirostris'' Lister, 1891<ref name = "Sharpe"/>

}} The '''Phoenix petrel''' ('''''Pterodroma alba''''') is a medium-sized tropical seabird, measuring up to {{convert|35|cm|ft|abbr=on}} long, with a wingspan of {{convert|83|cm|ft|abbr=on}}. It has a dark brown upperparts plumage, white below and whitish throat. The 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 vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

==Taxonomy== The Phoenix petrel was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the other petrels in the genus ''Procellaria'' and coined the binomial name ''Procellaria alba''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1789 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 2 | language=Latin | location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=565 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2656058 }}</ref> Gmelin based his description on the "white-breasted petrel" that had been described in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Latham from a specimen belonging to the naturalist Joseph Banks.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Latham | first=John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1785 | title=A General Synopsis of Birds | volume=3, Part 2 | publisher=Printed for Leigh and Sotheby | location=London | page=400, No. 6 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40079217 }}</ref> The type locality is Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1979 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=1 | edition=2nd | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | location=Cambridge, Massachusetts | pages=71–72 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16108711 }}</ref> The Phoenix petrel is now one of 35 species placed in the genus ''Pterodroma'' that was introduced in 1856 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Bonaparte | first=Charles Lucien | author-link=Charles Lucien Bonaparte | year=1856 | title=Espèces nouvelles d'oiseaux d'Asie et d'Amérique, et tableaux paralléliques des Pélagiens ou Gaviae | language=French | journal=Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences | volume=42 | pages=764–776 [768] | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1212582 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=August 2022 | title=Petrels, albatrosses | work=IOC World Bird List Version 12.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/petrels/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=15 November 2022 }}</ref> The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ''pteron'' meaning "wing" with ''dromos '' meaning "racer" or "runner". The specific epithet ''alba'' is from Latin ''albus''meaning "white".<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n322/mode/1up 322], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n37/mode/1up 37]}}</ref> The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.<ref name=ioc/>

== References == {{Reflist | refs = <ref name = "Loomis">{{cite journal | first = Leverett Mills | last = Loomis | title = On ''Procellaria alba'' Gmelin | journal = The Auk | volume = 38 | issue = 1 | pages = 88–91 | url = https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v037n01/p0088-p0091.pdf | date = January 1920| doi = 10.2307/4072962 | jstor = 4072962 }}</ref>

<ref name = "Sharpe">{{cite book | editor-first = Richard | editor-last = Sharpe | title = Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum: Gaviæ and Tubinares | year = 1896 | publisher = British Museum of Natural History | location = London, UK | page = [https://archive.org/details/cataloguebirdsi02zoolgoog/page/n422 405] | url = https://archive.org/details/cataloguebirdsi02zoolgoog}}</ref>

<ref name = "Streets">{{cite encyclopedia | first = Thomas H. | last = Streets | title = Bulletin of the United States National Museum | encyclopedia = Bulletin of the United States National Museum, Issue 7 | chapter = Contributions to the Natural History of the Hawaiian and Fanning Islands and Lower California | year = 1877 | page = 30 | location = Washington, DC | publisher = The Smithsonian Institution | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CaBFAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA30}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading== {{refbegin}} *{{ cite journal | last1=Murphy | first1=R.C. | last2=Pennoyer | first2=J.M. | year=1952 | title=Larger petrels of the genus ''Pterodroma'' | journal=American Museum Novitates | issue=1580 | pages=32–35 | hdl=2246/4049 | url=https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/4049 | ref=none }} {{refend}}

== External links == * [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3893&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]

Phoenix petrel Category:Birds of Tonga Category:Fauna of Kiribati Category:Birds of the Pitcairn Islands Category:Birds of the Marquesas Islands Category:Birds of the Tuamotus Phoenix petrel Phoenix petrel

Phoenix petrel

Connections

Linked from (34 total)

Links to (24 total)