A diminutive seabird from the south-western Pacific Ocean may be at risk of extinction despite only being classified as a species this year.
Researchers estimate there are fewer than 1000 breeding pairs of the recently identified New Caledonian storm petrel, which is about the size of a sparrow and spends little time on land.
The birds were identified by scientists in 2008, south of the islands of New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean. The petrels, which have a distinctly streaked plumage, were officially sighted again in 2010, some across the Coral Sea off the coast of north-east Australia.
Advertisement
at La Rochelle University in France thought the sightings resembled five storm petrel specimens in museum collections. Dating back as far as the mid-19th century, the specimens were considered to be divergent versions of a few known species, such as the black-bellied storm petrel (Fregetta tropica).
Bretagnolle and his colleagues measured the museum specimens against other storm petrel species, as well as analysing the birds’ genetics. The team found that two of the museum specimens and some of the living petrels collected at sea make up a newly identified species, dubbed Fregetta lineata.
F. lineata is one of two storm petrel species with a streaked plumage, says Bretagnolle. The second is the New Zealand storm petrel (Fregetta maoriana), which was thought to be extinct for 150 years until its rediscovery by scientists in 2003.
New birds are rarely discovered by science, with about five new species being described each year, says at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.
“Storm petrels are really magical, mysterious creatures,” says James. “They’re both delicate and yet tough to live in the way that they do.”
The birds’ aquatic lifestyle can make them difficult to study. “They are so small that it is difficult to identify them from boats, and many species look alike,” says at Acadia University in Wolfville, Canada.
Little is known about F. lineata’s population size, however. Bretagnolle and his team estimate there are just 100 to 1000 breeding pairs. The team says F. lineata is critically endangered, but this hasn’t been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Finding and protecting breeding colonies is a priority for conservation, says Bretagnolle. Potential breeding sites, such as small islets and isolated river valleys on mainland New Caledonia, are key targets for petrel research, he says.
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club
