Sighting of a Beck's Petrel Pseudobulweria becki and a Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma [cervicalis] occulta in remote Oceania, and the process of identification

This note reports observations of a presumed Beck's Petrel Pseudobulweria becki and a Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma [cervicalis] occulta in April 2022, in the low latitudes of the North Pacific, north of Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati. The sightings are significant because the ranges of both taxa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ornithology 2023-04, Vol.51 (1), p.79
Main Authors: Flood, Robert L, Zufelt, Kirk
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological surveys
Breeding sites
Identification
Pseudobulweria becki
Pseudobulweria rostrata
Pterodroma
Pterodroma cervicalis
Pterodroma occulta
Seabirds
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Summary:This note reports observations of a presumed Beck's Petrel Pseudobulweria becki and a Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma [cervicalis] occulta in April 2022, in the low latitudes of the North Pacific, north of Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati. The sightings are significant because the ranges of both taxa are barely known and their conservation classifications are concerning. We explain the circumstances of each sighting and the process of identification, reflecting upon current identification criteria and our studies of Beck's Petrel and Vanuatu Petrel at their breeding grounds. Discussion is illustrated with photographs of each bird and its cryptic confusion counterpart-the larger Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata for Beck's Petrel, and the larger White-necked Petrel Pterodroma cervicalis for Vanuatu Petrel. These two confusion pairs are generally considered inseparable at sea, but we demonstrate otherwise, given favourable circumstances.
ISSN:1018-3337
2074-1235