Black-winged Petrel

The Black-winged Petrel, Pterodroma nigripennis, is a small seabird with a graceful presence, characterized by its long, narrow wings and a body length averaging 29 centimeters. Its wingspan stretches to an average of 67 centimeters, allowing it to glide effortlessly over the ocean. The bird's plumage is a study in contrasts, with a pale grey cap and nape, white cheeks, and a dark grey collar. The dorsal surface is also pale grey, while the upperside of the wings transitions from pale grey at the base to a dark greyish-black along the outer edge. The underparts are a pristine white, and the wings' outer edges are a stark black. A square-cut tail with black and white barring completes its distinctive appearance.

Identification Tips

When observing the Black-winged Petrel, look for its small head and short black beak, which are proportionate to its slender body. The pale grey and white contrasts of its head are quite noticeable, as is the dark grey collar. In flight, the petrel's pale grey dorsal surface and the striking black edges of its wings are key identification features.

Habitat

This pelagic species is most at home on the open ocean, where it spends the majority of its life, only venturing to land for the purpose of breeding.

Distribution

The Black-winged Petrel's breeding range is quite expansive, encompassing oceanic islands in the tropical and subtropical East Pacific Ocean, from Lord Howe Island and eastern Australia to New Caledonia, the Chatham Islands, and the Austral Islands in French Polynesia. Outside the breeding season, it migrates northward, frequenting a broad belt of ocean between Peru and Hawaii.

Behaviour

The Black-winged Petrel is an adept forager, often seen skimming across the sea's surface or pattering across the water with its feet to snatch up prey. It is known to associate with other members of the Procellariiformes order during feeding.

Diet and Feeding

This seabird's diet includes cephalopods and prawns, which it captures with its specialized surface-skimming and water-pattering techniques.

Breeding

The Black-winged Petrel exhibits a preference for sandy soil on grassy slopes inland from the shore for its breeding sites. It constructs a tunnel up to a meter long, often concealed by vegetation, where it lays a single egg in a leaf-lined chamber. Both parents share the responsibility of incubation, which lasts about 45 days, and they also both feed the young, which fledges after approximately 85 days.

Conservation status

With an estimated global population of eight to ten million individuals, the Black-winged Petrel is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Its large population is widely distributed, indicating a stable species at present.