Black-footed petrel (Latin scientific name: Pterodroma cookii) foreign name Cook' s Petrel, Fardela blanca de Cook, Fardela blanca de Mas a Tierra, Fardela de Cook, Petrel de Cook, no subspecies.
The black-footed Shearwater migrates to the eastern Pacific between April and November after the breeding season. Migrate north to the Gulf of Alaska and south of the Aleutian Islands. The species can be seen from the Aleutian Islands and northern Hawaii, to California and the west coast of South America, and to southern Peru.
The black-footed Shearwater is nocturnal in its breeding grounds. When the birds leave the breeding island to feed after dark, their flight is fast and erratic, their wings flapping quickly and eagerly. They have many acrobatic and fancy flight positions, interspersed with towering thrusts. They are highly pelagic birds that only land during breeding periods. They fly great distances to find food at sea. They feed on the surface, but can dive to depths of 20 meters. They usually hunt primarily on the surface and use their beaks to catch prey from the surface. The species' tubular nostrils, located on either side of the beak, have a strong sense of smell, which is very helpful when foraging in the dark.
Like other petrels, the black-footed Shearwater is very loud. Will make a bleating sound "kek-kek-kek" or a nasal "nga-nga nga", sometimes during long flights. Muffled "boos" or loud purrs can also be heard. But they can be quiet at sea. They usually forage at night, but during the breeding season, they also forage during the day. Often in the sea low flying waves. It usually feeds on invertebrates such as squid, small fish, squid and crustaceans.
The breeding season for the northern black-footed Shearwater is between September and April of the following year, but southern birds breed a month later. After their first visit to the nesting cave, they head out to sea 25-27 days before laying eggs and hatching. The couple is monogamous and the long-term couple relationship lasts for several seasons.
The black-footed Shearwater nests in a long hole, sometimes among the roots of trees on a slope. The interior of the nest is well lined. The female lays a white egg. The incubation period is about 47 days, and the feeding period is 12-16 days. The upper body of the hatchling is covered with light gray fur, and the lower body is mostly white. Co-fed by two adult birds, the birds become independent in early March when they are about 3 months old.
In January 2012, it was estimated that there were more than 650,000 mature individuals on Little Baril Island and about 15,000 mature individuals on Cod Island. Thus, the total population estimate is rounded up to about 670,000 mature populations.
Listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN)2018 ver3.1 - Vulnerable (VU).
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