Snow petrel

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Snow petrel
Petrel des neiges - Snow Petrel.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Pagodroma
Bonaparte, 1856
Species:
P. nivea
Binomial name
Pagodroma nivea
(Forster, G, 1777)
Subspecies [2]

P. nivea nivea(G. Forster, 1777)
P. nivea major(Schlegel, 1863)

Contents

Pagodroma nivea map.svg
  range

The snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) 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. [3]

Taxonomy

The snow petrel was described in 1777 by the German naturalist Georg Forster in his book A Voyage Round the World . He had accompanied James Cook on Cook's second voyage to the Pacific. [4]

We particularly observed a petrel, about the size of a pigeon, entirely white, with a black bill and blueish feet; it constantly appeared about the icy masses, and may be looked upon as a sure fore-runner of ice. [4]

Forster placed the snow petrel in the genus Procellaria that had been erected for the petrels by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and coined the binomial name Procellaria nivea. [4] [5] The snow petrel is now the only species placed in the genus Pagodroma that was introduced for the snow petrel in 1856 by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. [6] [7] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek pagos meaning "frost" or "sea-ice" with dromos meaning "racer" or "runner". The specific epithet is from the Latin niveus meaning "snow-white". [8] The word "petrel" is derived from Peter the Apostle 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. [9]

Snow petrels vary significantly in size with two different forms, a larger and a smaller. [10] The two forms hybridise extensively and this has led to uncertainty about the taxonomic status and the precise geographic distribution of the different types. [11] [12] In 1857 Bonaparte in his Conspectus Generum Avium listed subspecies major and minor but as he provided no further information, these names are not recognised and are considered as nomen nudum . [13] The German ornithologist Hermann Schlegel in 1863 provided descriptions for the subspecies minor and major but erroneously believed that Forster's original description applied to the larger form. [14] In 1912 Gregory Mathews, in the second volume of his Birds of Australia, treated the larger form as a separate species and introduced the binomial name Pagodroma confusa. [15] The two forms are now usually treated as subspecies and Schlege is acknowledged as the authority for the larger subspecies. [7] [12] [16]

The snow petrel is a member of the family Procellariidae, and the order Procellariiformes. [7] They all share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into seven to nine horny plates. 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 defense against predators (principally skuas) [17] and as an energy-rich food source for the chicks and for the adults during their long flights. [18] Finally, they also have a salt gland situated above the nasal passage which helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nostrils. [19]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognised: [7]

Snow petrel, P. nivea in Ross Sea Pagodroma nivea in ross sea1.jpg
Snow petrel, P. nivea in Ross Sea

Description

The snow petrel is a small, pure white fulmarine petrel with coal-black eyes, a small black bill and bluish gray feet. Body length is 30–40 cm (12–16 in) and the wingspan is 75–95 cm (30–37 in). Flight is erratic with frequent changes of direction. [20]

Behavior

Snow petrels are almost entirely restricted to cold Antarctic waters. Flocks are characteristically seen sitting on icebergs.

Breeding

Pagodroma nivea - MHNT Pagodroma nivea MHNT.jpg
Pagodroma nivea – MHNT
Snow petrel chick Poussin de petrel des neiges.jpg
Snow petrel chick

Breeding occurs in colonies on the Antarctic continent and on various Antarctic islands. Nesting is colonial in small to large colonies on exposed rocks, usually near the sea, but also on inland mountain ranges more than 400 km (250 mi) from the open sea. [20] [21] [22] Some birds remain at the colony all year, but the main influx at colonies is from the mid-September until early November. Nests are simple pebble-lined scrapes usually in a deep rock crevices with overhanging protection. Nests are abandoned if concealed by heavy snowfall; egg mortality is 50%, and chick mortality is 10–15%. [17] One white egg is laid between late November and mid-December. The egg is incubated 41 to 49 days and the chick is brooded for 8 days. They fledge 7 weeks later in late February to mid-May. Colonies are also the sites of cleaning areas where snow petrels, far from the sea, bathe in snow.[ citation needed ]

Snow petrel partners are faithful for life (around 20 years).

Feeding

Snow petrels feed mainly on fish, some cephalopods, mollusks, and krill, as well as carrion in the form of seal placentas, dead/stillborn seals, whale carcasses, and dead penguin chicks. [17] During the winter, they disperse to the pack ice, ice floes, and the open sea. Flocks are characteristically seen sitting on icebergs. Only very rarely are they observed north of the pack ice. [23]

Conservation

The snow petrel has an occurrence range of 35,900,000 km2 (13,861,067 sq mi), and an estimated population of 4 million adult birds. Based on these numbers, the IUCN has classified this bird as least concern. [24]

Related Research Articles

<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">Antarctic petrel</span> Species of bird

The Antarctic petrel 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.

<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.

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

Salvin's albatross or Salvin's mollymawk, is a large seabird that breeds mainly on the Bounty Islands of New Zealand, with scant amounts on islands across the Southern Ocean. A medium-sized mollymawk, it was long considered to be a subspecies of the shy albatross.

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

The spectacled petrel is a rare seabird that nests only on the high western plateau of Inaccessible Island in the South Atlantic Tristan da Cunha group. It is one of the largest petrels that nests in burrows. This species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the white-chinned petrel.

<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">Light-mantled albatross</span> Species of bird

The light-mantled albatross also known as the grey-mantled albatross or the light-mantled sooty albatross, is a small albatross in the genus Phoebetria, which it shares with the sooty albatross. The light-mantled albatross was first described as Phoebetria palpebrata by Johann Reinhold Forster, in 1785, based on a specimen from south of the Cape of Good Hope.

<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">Fulmarine petrel</span> Group of birds

The fulmarine petrels or fulmar-petrels are a distinct group of petrels within the family Procellariidae. They are the most variable of the four groups within the Procellariidae, differing greatly in size and biology. They do, however, have a unifying feature, their skull, and in particular their nasal tubes. They are predominantly found in the Southern Ocean with one species, the northern fulmar, ranging in the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

<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.

The Phoenix petrel is a medium-sized tropical seabird, measuring up to 35 cm (1.15 ft) long, with a wingspan of 83 cm (2.72 ft). It has a dark brown upperparts plumage, white below and whitish throat. The sexes are similar.

<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">Great-winged petrel</span> Species of bird

The great-winged petrel is a petrel living and breeding in the world's Southern Ocean.

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

The Polynesian storm petrel is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Nesofregetta. This species is markedly polymorphic, consisting of several subspecies. At one time the light-colored variety were even considered a species on their own. However, subspecies are not generally accepted today.

<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. ↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Pagodroma nivea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22697885A132611127. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697885A132611127.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Brands, Sheila (14 Aug 2008). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification – Pagodroma nivea –". Project: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved 22 Feb 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Snow Petrel". New Zealand Birds Online. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 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. pp. 96, 98.
  5. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 131.
  6. ↑ Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1856). "Espèces nouvelles d'oiseaux d'Asie et d'Amérique, et tableaux paralléliques des Pélagiens ou Gaviae". Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences (in French). 42: 764–776 [768].
  7. 1 2 3 4 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.
  8. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  273, 288. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Jouventin, Pierre; Viot, Christopher-Robin (1985). "Morphological and genetic variability of Snow Petrels Pagodroma nivea". Ibis. 127 (4): 430–441. doi: 10.1111/j.1474-919X.1985.tb04839.x .
  11. ↑ Barbraud, Christophe; Jouventin, Pierre (1998). "What causes body size variation in the Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea?". Journal of Avian Biology. 29 (2): 161–171. doi:10.2307/3677194. JSTOR   3677194.
  12. 1 2 Gill, B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. (2010). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica (PDF) (4th ed.). Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN   978-1-877385-59-9.
  13. ↑ Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1857). Conspectus Generum Avium (in Latin). Vol. 2. Lugduni Batavorum: Apud E.J. Brill. p. 192.
  14. ↑ Schlege, Hermann (1863). "Procellariae". Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Pays-Bas: Revue Méthodique et Critique des Collections Déposées dans Cet Établissement. VI (22): 1–40 [15–16].
  15. ↑ Mathews, Gregory M. (1912). The Birds of Australia. Vol. 2. London: Witherby. p. 177.
  16. ↑ Dickinson, E.C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr., eds. (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Non-passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 175. ISBN   978-0-9568611-0-8.
  17. 1 2 3 "Snow petrel". Australian Antarctic Division: Leading Australia’s Antarctic Program. Australian Government. 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. 1 2 Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.G., eds. (1990). "Pagodroma nivea Snow 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. 402–410. ISBN   978-0-19-553068-1.
  21. ↑ Bowra, G.T.; Holdgate, M.W.; Tilbrook, P.J. (1966). "Biological investigations in Tottanfjella and central Heimefrontfjella" (PDF). British Antarctic Survey Bulletin. 9: 63–70.
  22. ↑ Goldsworthy, P.M.; Thomson, P.G. (2000). "An extreme inland breeding locality of snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) in the southern Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica". Polar Biology. 23 (10): 717–720. Bibcode:2000PoBio..23..717G. doi: 10.1007/s003000000146 .
  23. ↑ Barbraud, Christophe; Weimerskirch, Henri; Guinet, Christophe; Jouventin, Pierre (2000). "Effect of sea-ice extent on adult survival of an Antarctic top predator: the snow petrel Pagodroma nivea". Oecologia. 125 (4): 483–488. Bibcode:2000Oecol.125..483B. doi:10.1007/s004420000481. JSTOR   4222800. PMID   28547217. S2CID   36906048.
  24. ↑ BirdLife International (2009). "Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea – BirdLife Species Factsheet". Data Zone. Retrieved 17 Jul 2009.
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