Mascarene petrel

The Mascarene petrel (Pseudobulweria aterrima) is a medium-sized, dark petrel.

Mascarene petrel
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Procellariiformes
Family:	Procellariidae
Genus:	Pseudobulweria
Species:	P. aterrima
Binomial name
Pseudobulweria aterrima (Bonaparte, 1857)
Synonyms
Pterodroma aterrima

Also sometimes known as the Mascarene black petrel, this species was known from four specimens found in the nineteenth century on the island of Réunion. Two birds were found dead in the 1970s, and there have been rare observations of birds in the waters south of Réunion since 1964. It is also known from subfossil remains from the island of Rodrigues. It is known to breed in very small numbers in the Grand Bassin – Le Dimitile Important Bird Area in the mountains of Réunion. Masacarene petrels are primarily monogamous.^[2] The species is classified as critically endangered as it is inferred from the number of records that there is an extremely small population threatened by introduced species, such as feral cats and house rats, and light pollution. Despite these threats, genetic diversity of the species is high.^[2]

Public awareness campaigns resulted in the finding of 58 Mascarene petrels between 1996 and 2021. Réunion scientists reported this as part of their work to locate breeding colonies using acoustic surveys.[2] They note that the population is declining due to predation and, by locating the colonies, conservation measures could be implemented.

References

1. BirdLife International (2018). "Pseudobulweria aterrima". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22697896A132611797. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697896A132611797.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. Lopez, Jade; Nikolic, Natacha; Riethmuller, Martin; Dubos, Jérôme; Pinet, Patrick; Souharce, Patxi; Couzi, François-Xavier; Le Corre, Matthieu; Jaeger, Audrey; Humeau, Laurence (2020-07-20). "High genetic diversity despite drastic bottleneck in a critically endangered, long-lived seabird, the Mascarene Petrel Pseudobulweria aterrima". Ibis. 163 (1): 268–273. doi:10.1111/ibi.12864. ISSN 0019-1019. S2CID 225570540.

2. Journal of Field Ornithology (2022). "Discovery of the breeding colonies of a critically endangered and elusive seabird, the Mascarene Petrel (Pseudobulweria aterrima)". Retrieved 17 July 2023

• BirdLife International Species Factsheet

Further reading

• Shirihai, H.; Pym, T.; Roman, M.S.; Bretagnolle, V. (2014). "The critically endangered Mascarene Petrel Pseudobulweria aterrima: identification and behaviour at sea, historical discovery of breeding sites, and breeding ecology on Reunion, Indian Ocean". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 134 (3): 194–223.