- Peruvian Diving-petrel
Taxobox
name = Peruvian Diving-petrel
status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1
trend = down
image_width = 250px
image_caption = Peruvian Diving-petrel fledgling
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Procellariiformes
familia =Pelecanoididae
genus = "Pelecanoides "
species = "P. garnotii"
binomial = "Pelecanoides garnotii"
binomial_authority = (Lesson,1828 )The Peruvian Diving-petrel, "Pelecanoides garnotii", is a small
seabird that feeds in offshore waters in theHumboldt Current offPeru andChile . Like the rest of thediving petrel s it is a nondescript bird, with a dark back and pale belly, and blue feet, and can be separated from the rest of its family only by differences in its beak and nostrils. Unlike theCommon Diving-petrel and theSouth Georgia Diving-petrel it feeds in cold, offshore, oftenpelagic water, obtaining smallfish larvae and planktoniccrustacean s by pursuit diving.The Peruvian Diving-petrel nests on a few offshore islands, foremerly in dense colonies, although now more frequently in small groups. They breed year round, laying a single egg in a burrow dug into
guano .Peruvian Diving-petrels are considered highly endangered. They formerly numbered in the millions, but the pressures of guano extraction (which destroyed nests, eggs and chicks), being directly taken for food by guano workers and
introduced species (particularlyfox es andferal cat s) have caused the number to crash to around 25,000 birds. They have become locally extinct on many of their former colonies, and now survive on just four islands. Although all four islands are currently in reserves some guano extraction still continues and the reserves are ineffectively policed.The binomial of this species commemorates the French naturalist
Prosper Garnot .References
* Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is endangered and the criteria used
*del Hoyo, Josep, Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (1992 ).Handbook of Birds of the World Vol 1. Barcelona:Lynx Edicions , ISBN 84-87334-10-5External links
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3948&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet.]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.