#pelecanoides georgicus

NEW SPECIES ALERT:  RESEARCHERS FOUND A HIGHLY ENDANGERED PETREL SPECIES IN NEW ZEALAND

A new species of diving petrel has been found on the predator-free Whenua Hou off the coast of Stewart Island in Southern New Zealand. The seabird was named the Whenua Hou Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides whenuahouensis). This species is highly endangered since the entire population has been estimated at 150 birds, all living on a 1 km sand strip.

Few time ago, researchers considered this species as South Georgian Diving Petrels (Pelecanoides georgicus) a species with no conservation problems, but the present study shown differences in the birds’ size, shape and color as well. Together, these differences are enough to identify them as a separate species based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species criteria.

The researchers believe that the species survival will depend on vigilant biosecurity to prevent invasive species from reaching the island. Limiting human activity will also help preserve the fragile sand dune ecosystem. The extremelly small population itself is highly threatened by storm events; one such event in 2003 led to the collapse of many dunes, killing many birds. They are also threatened by the advance of coastal forest and invasive grasses and herbs over the dunes, as well as sea level rise due to climate change. 

Photo: Whenua Hou Diving Petrel held by researcher Johannes Fischer. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Referencen (Open Access):  Fischer et al., 2018. Analyses of phenotypic differentiations among South Georgian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus) populations reveal an undescribed and highly endangered species from New Zealand. PLOS ONE

SEGREGATION IS KEY IN THE SURVIVAL OF ANTARCTIC PETRELS

According to niche theory, mechanisms exist that allow co-existence of organisms that would otherwise compete for the same prey and other resources. How seabirds cope with potential competition during the non-breeding period is poorly documented, and had been particularly little studied for small species scientists say.

Spanish researchers conducted the study in the sub-Antarctic island of Bird Island in the archipelago of South Georgia,  placing geolocators by light levels in 100 individuals of four species of petrels: Pelecanoides urinatrix, Pelecanoides georgicus, Pachyptila turtur and Halobaena caerulea; small birds that feed primarily on krill, during the non-breeding period. During the breeding season, the scientists collected geolocators with the registered information for all the positions of the marked birds for a year.

The results show a clear spatial segregation and segregation in the niche between the species studied, showing new signs of ecological mechanisms, primarily related to the reduction in competition for food resources during the non-breeding period, which would explain the coexistence of these abundant subantarctic predators in  common  nesting areas, "adds Navarro who leads the study.

Joan Navarro et al. 2015. Spatial distribution and ecological niches of non-breeding planktivorous petrels. Nature