| Blue Petrel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Procellariidae |
| Genus: | Halobaena |
| Species: | Halobaena caerulea |
The Blue Petrel (Halobaena caerulea) is a small, prion-like seabird in the shearwater and petrel family, Procellariidae.
Description[]
These about 30 cm long seabirds are greyish-blue above with a white-tipped tail, dark cap and a dark 'M' pattern on the upper wings. The bill is bluish-black and the legs and feet are blue with flesh-coloured webs.
Behavior[]
The Blue Petrel is a pelagic seabird, only coming ashore to breed. At sea, it often occurs in single species flocks or in mixed flocks with prions.
Breeding and Nesting[]
As typical for most small petrels, Blue Petrels are nocturnal at their breeding sites, nest in burrows in large colonies, are monogamous, and have shared care of the single egg and chick. Both sexes incubate the single white egg for 45-49 days, and feed the chick by regurgitation. The chick fledges after 43-60 days. Laying occurs in October, hatching in December, and fledging in February.
Feeding[]
Blue Petrels mainly eat crustaceans, but also small fish and squid obtained by dipping while in flight, or while swimming. They will also dive. Blue Petrels often associate with prions, and occasionally attend feeding whales. They usually show little interest in ships, but will fly alongside in the lee of larger vessels.
Distribution and Habitat[]
Blue Petrels breed on circumpolar subantarctic islands and strays to NZ in Winter. Wrecks of these birds appear on mainland NZ beaches in large numbers. They're distributed across the extreme southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with a few hundred pairs breeding in the Pacific sector on Macquarie Island.