Antarctic petrel

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Antarctic petrel
Antarctic Petrel, Antarctic Peninsula (5940362516).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Thalassoica
Reichenbach, 1853
Species:
T. antarctica
Binomial name
Thalassoica antarctica
(Gmelin, JF, 1789)
Thalassoica antarctica map.svg
  range

The Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica) is a boldly marked dark brown and white petrel, found in Antarctica, most commonly in the Ross and Weddell Seas. They eat Antarctic krill, fish, and small squid. They feed while swimming but can dive from both the surface and the air.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

Captain James Cook saw the Antarctic petrel on his second voyage to the south Pacific. In 1773 both Cook and the naturalist Georg Forster mentioned the petrel in their separate accounts of the voyage. [2] [3] Forster wrote:

On the 17th, in the forenoon, we crossed the antarctic circle, and advanced into the southern frigid zone, which had hitherto remained impenetrable to all navigators. Some days before this period we had seen a new species of petrel, of a brown colour, with a white belly and rump, and a large white spot on the wings, which we now named the antarctic petrel, as we saw great flights of twenty on thirty of them hereabouts, of which we shot many that unfortunately never fell into the ship. [3]

Based on these reports in 1783 the French French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon included the petrel as "Le pétrel antarctique ou Damier brun" in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. [4] The species was also included by John Latham in his A General Synopsis of Birds. [5] When the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin updated Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae in 1789 he included a brief description of the Antarctic petrel, coined the binomial name Procellaria antarctica and cited the earlier authors. [6] The Antarctic petrel is now the only species placed in the genus Thalassoica that was introduced in 1853 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. [7] [8] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek thalassa meaning "sea" with oikos meaning "house". [9] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [8] The word petrel is derived from St. Peter and the story of his walking on water. This is in reference to the petrel's habit of appearing to run on the water to take off. [10]

The Antarctic petrel is placed in the family Procellariidae of the order Procellariiformes. [8] This petrel along with the snow petrel, the Cape petrel, the giant petrels, and the fulmars, are considered to be a different subclade from the other Procellariidae members. [11] They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the petrels are on the top of the upper bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. On petrels, one of these plates forms the hooked portion of the upper bill. They produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defence against predators and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. [12] Finally, they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose. [13]

Description

Antarctic Petrel 2.jpg
Antarctic petrel off of the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Petrel 3.jpg

The adult Antarctic petrel has a brown head, sides, throat, and back. The bill is dark brown and the feet are grey. The underparts are white and their tail and secondaries on the wings are white with brown tips. These are medium-sized relative to other petrels with a wingspan of 100–110 cm (39–43 in), a length of 40–45 cm (16–18 in), and an average weight of 675 g (23.8 oz). [14]

Distribution and habitat

The Antarctic petrel, as its name implies, lives and breeds in the Southern Ocean, and on the Antarctic islands. [15] They nest on snow-free cliffs and rock faces, on the coast or on offshore islands. [1] However, they have been found up to 250 km inland. [1] Another common roosting spot is icebergs. [16] Breeding colonies during the October–November breeding period, can be as large as more than 200,000 pairs. [16]

They occasionally migrate to Australia or New Zealand in late winter. [16] Unfortunately, this tends to occur when they're caught in a bad storm. [17]

Behaviour

Food and feeding

The petrel's diet is mainly krill, squid and small fish. Food is usually seized when the bird is on the surface but they also plunge-dive to obtain food, diving up to a depth of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in). [14]

Breeding

The Antarctic petrel breeding period is during October–November. [16] [18] Each pair lays a single egg, which they incubate for 45–48 days after which there is a 42-47 day nestling period. [16] [18] Both members of the pair incubate the egg, 4% of pairs are female-female. [18]

Eggs have a 70-90% hatching rate. [16] The two main causes of egg loss were predation by South polar skuas, and an egg rolling out of the nest and freezing. [16]

Antarctic petrel chicks rely on their parents for food as well as warmth. [19] The physiological condition of the parent petrel dictates the amount of food it provides to its chick. [20] Provisioning by parent petrels depends on both their own body condition and their chick's needs. Parent petrels in better body condition were more likely to have a chick that survived, and were able to increase the amount of food they gave to a smaller chick in a cross-fostering experiment. [20] Chicks become thermally independent after day 11 post-hatching. [19]

Status

This petrel has an estimated occurrence range of 77,500,000 km2 (29,922,917 sq mi) and between 10 and 20 million adult birds. [1] Due to its huge range and large numbers, it has been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a species of least concern. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prion (bird)</span> Group of birds

The prions or whalebirds are small petrels in the genera Pachyptila and Halobaena. They form one of the four groups within the Procellariidae along with the gadfly petrels, shearwaters and fulmarine petrels. The name comes from the Greek priōn, meaning "saw", a reference of the serrated edges of the birds' saw-like bill.

<i>Pachyptila</i> Genus of birds

Pachyptila is a genus of seabirds in the family Procellariidae and the order Procellariiformes. The members of this genus and the blue petrel form a sub-group called prions. They range throughout the southern hemisphere, often in the much cooler higher latitudes. Three species, the broad-billed prion, the Antarctic prion and the fairy prion, range into the subtropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Procellariidae</span> Family of seabirds which includes petrels, shearweters and prions

The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the diving petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes, which also includes the albatrosses and the storm petrels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern fulmar</span> Species of bird

The northern fulmar, fulmar, or Arctic fulmar is an abundant seabird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. There has been one confirmed sighting in the Southern Hemisphere, with a single bird seen south of New Zealand. Fulmars come in one of two colour morphs; a light one in temperate populations, with white head and body and grey wings and tail, and a dark one in arctic populations, which is uniformly grey; intermediate birds are common. Though similar in appearance to gulls, fulmars are in fact members of the family Procellariidae, which includes petrels and shearwaters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern fulmar</span> Species of bird

The southern fulmar is a seabird of the Southern Hemisphere. Along with the northern fulmar, F. glacialis, it belongs to the fulmar genus Fulmarus in the family Procellariidae, the true petrels. It is also known as the Antarctic fulmar or silver-grey fulmar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant petrel</span> Genus of birds

Giant petrels form a genus, Macronectes, from the family Procellariidae, which consists of two living and one extinct species. They are the largest birds in this family. Both extant species in the genus are native to the Southern Hemisphere. Giant petrels are extremely aggressive predators and scavengers, inspiring another common name, the stinker. Seamen and whalers also referred to the giant petrel as the molly-hawk, gong, glutton bird and nelly. They are the only member of their family that is capable of walking on land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern giant petrel</span> Species of bird

The southern giant petrel, also known as the Antarctic giant petrel, giant fulmar, stinker, and stinkpot, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar northern giant petrel, though it overall is centered slightly further south. Adults of the two species can be distinguished by the colour of their bill-tip: greenish in the southern and reddish in the northern.

<i>Procellaria</i> Genus of birds

Procellaria is a genus of Southern Ocean long-winged seabirds related to prions, and within the order Procellariiformes. The black petrel ranges in the Pacific Ocean, and as far north as Central America. The spectacled petrel is confined to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Westland petrel to the Pacific Ocean. The white-chinned and grey petrel range throughout the higher latitudes of the Southern Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern royal albatross</span> Species of bird

The northern royal albatross or toroa, is a large seabird in the albatross family. It was split from the closely related southern royal albatross as recently as 1998, though not all scientists support that conclusion and some consider both of them to be subspecies of the royal albatross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue petrel</span> Species of bird

The blue petrel is a small seabird in the shearwater and petrel family, Procellariidae. This small petrel is the only member of the genus Halobaena, but is closely allied to the prions. It is distributed across the Southern Ocean but breeds at a few island sites, all close to the Antarctic Convergence zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape petrel</span> Species of bird

The Cape petrel, also called the Cape pigeon, pintado petrel, or Cape fulmar, is a common seabird of the Southern Ocean from the family Procellariidae. It is the only member of the genus Daption, and is allied to the fulmarine petrels, and the giant petrels. They are extremely common seabirds with an estimated population of around 2 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow petrel</span> Species of bird

The snow petrel is the only member of the genus Pagodroma. It is one of only three birds that have been seen at the Geographic South Pole, along with the Antarctic petrel and the south polar skua, which has the most southerly breeding sites of any bird, inland in Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairy prion</span> Species of bird

The fairy prion is a small seabird with the standard prion plumage of blue-grey upperparts with a prominent dark "M" marking and white underneath. The sexes are alike. It is a small prion which frequents the low subantarctic and subtropic seas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-chinned petrel</span> Species of bird

The white-chinned petrel also known as the Cape hen and shoemaker, is a large shearwater in the family Procellariidae. It ranges around the Southern Ocean as far north as southern Australia, Peru and Namibia, and breeds colonially on scattered islands. The white-chinned petrel was formerly considered to be conspecific with the spectacled petrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad-billed prion</span> Species of bird

The broad-billed prion is a small pelagic seabird in the shearwater and petrel family, Procellariidae. It is the largest prion, with grey upperparts plumage, and white underparts. The sexes are alike. It ranges from the southeast Atlantic to New Zealand mainly near the Antarctic Convergence. In the south Atlantic it breeds on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island; in the south Pacific it breeds on islands off the south coast of South Island, New Zealand and on the Chatham Islands. It has many other names that have been used such as blue-billed dove-petrel, broad-billed dove-petrel, long-billed prion, common prion, icebird, and whalebird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antarctic prion</span> Species of bird

The Antarctic prion also known as the dove prion, or totorore in Māori, is the largest of the prions, a genus of small petrels of the Southern Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulmar prion</span> Species of bird

The fulmar prion is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae, found in the southern oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvin's prion</span> Species of bird

Salvin's prion, also known as the medium-billed prion, is a species of seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey petrel</span> Species of bird

The grey petrel, also called the brown petrel, pediunker or grey shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae, or petrel family. It is pelagic and occurs in the open seas of the Southern Hemisphere, mainly between 32°S and 58°S.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 BirdLife International. (2018). "Thalassoica antarctica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22697875A132610289. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697875A132610289.en .
  2. ↑ Cook, James; Furneaux, Tobias (1777). A voyage towards the South Pole, and round the world : performed in His Majesty's ships the Resolution and Adventure, in the years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell. p. 257.
  3. 1 2 Forster, Georg (1777). A Voyage Round the World, in His Britannic Majesty's Sloop, Resolution, Commanded by Capt. James Cook, During the Years 1772, 3, 4, and 5. Vol. 1. London: B. White, P. Elmsly, G. Robinson. p. 108.
  4. ↑ Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1783). "Le Pétrel Antarctique ou Damier brun". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 9. Paris: De l'Imprimerie Royale. pp. 311–313.
  5. ↑ Latham, John (1785). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 3 part 2. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. p. 400.
  6. ↑ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 565.
  7. ↑ Reichenbach, Ludwig (1853). Handbuch der speciellen Ornithologie (in German). Vol. 1. Dresden und Leipzig: Expedition Vollständigsten Naturgeschichte. p. vi. For the publication date see: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. p. 134. ISBN   978-0-9568611-1-5.
  8. 1 2 3 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Petrels, albatrosses". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 383. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  10. ↑ Gotch, A. F. (1995) [1979]. "Albatrosses, Fulmars, Shearwaters, and Petrels". Latin Names Explained A Guide to the Scientific Classifications of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. New York, NY: Facts on File. pp. 191–192. ISBN   0-8160-3377-3.
  11. ↑ Tree of Life (27 Jun 2008). "Procellariidae. Shearwaters, Petrels". Tree of Life Web Project. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 18 Mar 2009.
  12. ↑ Double, M. C. (2003). "Procellariiformes (Tubenosed Seabirds)". In Hutchins, Michael; Jackson, Jerome A.; Bock, Walter J.; Olendorf, Donna (eds.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8, Birds I: Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins. Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 107–111. ISBN   0-7876-5784-0.
  13. ↑ Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin, David, S.; Wheye, Darryl (1988). The Birders Handbook (First ed.). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. pp.  29–31. ISBN   0-671-65989-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. 1 2 Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.G., eds. (1990). "Thalassoica antarctica Antarctic Petrel" (PDF). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds. Volume 1: Ratites to ducks; Part A, Ratites to petrels. Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. pp. 384–391. ISBN   978-0-19-553068-1.
  15. ↑ Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6th ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-0-8014-4501-9.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Antarctic petrel". www.antarctica.gov.au. 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-03-18. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  17. ↑ Miskelly, C. M. (2013). "Antarctic petrel". New Zealand Birds Online. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  18. 1 2 3 Lorentsen, Svein-Hȧkon; Amundsen, Trond; Anthonisen, Kristin; Lifjeld, Jan T. (2000). "Molecular Evidence for Extrapair Paternity and Female-Female Pairs in Antarctic Petrels". The Auk. 117 (4): 1042–1047. doi:10.2307/4089648. ISSN   0004-8038. JSTOR   4089648. Archived from the original on 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  19. 1 2 Bech, Claus; Mehlum, Fridtjof; Haftorn, Svein (1991-08-01). "Thermoregulatory abilities in chicks of the Antarctic Petrel (Thalassoica antarctica)". Polar Biology. 11 (4): 233–238. doi:10.1007/BF00238456. ISSN   1432-2056. S2CID   30123748.
  20. 1 2 Tveraa, Torkild; Sether, Bernt-Erik; Aanes, Ronny; Erikstad, Kjell Einar (September 1998). "Regulation of food provisioning in the Antarctic petrel; the importance of parental body condition and chick body mass". Journal of Animal Ecology. 67 (5): 699–704. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2656.1998.00234.x. ISSN   0021-8790.
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