Kingdom Animalia Order Procellariiformes Genus Pterodroma Higher classification Gadfly petrel | Phylum Chordata Family Procellariidae Scientific name Pterodroma alba Rank Species | |
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Similar Bird, Gadfly petrel, Kermadec petrel, Murphy's petrel, Herald petrel | ||
The Phoenix petrel (Pterodroma alba) is a medium-sized tropical seabird, measuring up to 35 cm (14 in) long, with a wingspan of 83 cm (33 in). It has a dark brown upperparts plumage, white below and whitish throat. The sexes are similar.
The Phoenix petrel is found throughout oceans and coastal areas in the central Pacific Ocean. Their colonies can be found on Phoenix, Tonga, Kiritimati, Tuamotu, Marquesas and Pitcairn Island. Females lay one white egg on the ground surface. The diet consists mainly of squid, fish and crustaceans.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, predation by invasive species and human exploitation, the Phoenix petrel is evaluated as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
References
Phoenix petrel Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA