Pterodroma Hasitata Research Articles

Spatial segregation between phenotypes of the diablotin black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata during the non-breeding period

Despite growing support for ecosystem-based approaches, conservation is mostly implemented at the species level. However, genetic differentiation exists within this taxonomic level, putting genetically distinct populations at risk of local extinction. In the diablotin black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata, an endangered gadfly petrel endemic to the Caribbean, 2 phenotypes have been described: a smaller dark form and a heavier light form, which are genetically distinct. To assess possible differences in the marine distributions of phenotypes, in May 2019, we captured 5 adult black-capped petrels of each phenotype at sea in the western North Atlantic and equipped them with satellite transmitters. We used generalized linear mixed models to test the importance of phenotype on geographic distribution. Using kernel density estimations, we located use areas, quantified spatial overlap between forms, and assessed form-specific exposure to marine threats. Petrels were tracked for 11 to 255 d (mean ± SD: 102.1 ± 74.2 d). During the non-breeding period, all individuals ranged from 28.4 to 43.0° latitude. Phenotypes had significantly distinct non-breeding distributions, independent of time of year. The dark form used waters of the Carolinian marine ecoregion, and the light form used pelagic waters of the Virginian ecoregion, to the north. The dark form was more exposed to marine threats than the light form, in particular to mercury, microplastics, and marine traffic. The light form overlapped with proposed wind energy areas off the central US coast. These differences in exposure suggest possible differences in vulnerability, which can have repercussions on the viability of this imperiled species.

Revising the marine range of the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata: occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico and exposure to conservation threats

The black-capped petrelPterodroma hasitatais an Endangered seabird endemic to the western North Atlantic. Although estimated at ~1000 breeding pairs, only ~100 nests have been located at 2 sites in Haiti and 3 sites in the Dominican Republic. At sea, the species primarily occupies waters of the western Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Due to limited data, there is currently no consensus on the geographic marine range of the species although no current proposed ranges include the Gulf of Mexico. Here, we report on observations of black-capped petrels during 2 vessel-based survey efforts throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2010-2011 and 2017-2019. During 558 d and ~54700 km of surveys, we tallied 40 black-capped petrels. Most observations occurred in the eastern Gulf, although birds were observed over much of the east-west and north-south footprint of the survey area. Predictive models indicated that habitat suitability for black-capped petrels was highest in areas associated with dynamic waters of the Loop Current. We used the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy concepts to delimit the geographic range of the species within the northern Gulf. We suggest that the marine range for black-capped petrels be modified to include the northern Gulf of Mexico, recognizing that distribution may be more clumped in the eastern Gulf and that occurrence in the southern Gulf remains unknown due to a lack of surveys there. To date, however, it remains unclear which nesting areas are linked to the Gulf of Mexico.

Habitat modelling locates nesting areas of the Endangered Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata on Hispaniola and identifies habitat loss

SummaryThe Black-capped Petrel or Diablotin Pterodroma hasitata has a fragmented and declining population estimated at c.1,000 breeding pairs. On land, the species nests underground in steep ravines with dense understorey vegetation. The only confirmed breeding sites are located in the mountain ranges of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, where habitat loss and degradation are continuing threats. Other nesting populations may still remain undiscovered but, to locate them, laborious in situ nest searches must be conducted over expansive geographical areas. To focus nest-search efforts more efficiently, we analysed the environmental characteristics of Black-capped Petrel nesting habitat and modeled suitable habitat on Hispaniola using openly available environmental datasets. We used a univariate generalized linear model to compare the habitat characteristics of active Black-capped Petrel nests sites with those of potentially available sites (i.e. random pseudo-absences). Elevation, distance to coast, and the influence of tree cover and density emerged as important environmental variables. We then applied multivariate generalized linear models to these environmental variables that showed a significant relationship with petrel nesting activity. We used the top performing model of habitat suitability model to create maps of predicted suitability for Hispaniola. In addition to areas of known petrel activity, the model identified possible nesting areas for Black-capped Petrels in habitats not previously considered suitable. Based on model results, we estimated the total area of predicted suitable nesting habitat for Black-capped Petrels on Hispaniola and found that forest loss due to hurricanes, forest fires, and encroachment from agriculture had severely decreased availability of predicted suitable habitat between 2000 and 2018.

First satellite tracks of the Endangered black-capped petrel

The black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata is an endangered seabird with fewer than 2000 breeding pairs restricted to a few breeding sites in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. To date, use areas at sea have been determined entirely from vessel-based surveys and opportunistic sightings and, as such, spatial and temporal gaps in our understanding of the species’ marine range are likely. To enhance our understanding of marine use areas, we deployed satellite tags on 3 black-capped petrels breeding on Hispaniola, representing the first tracking study for this species and one of the first published tracking studies for any breeding seabird in the Caribbean. During chick rearing, petrels primarily used marine habitats in the southern Caribbean Sea (ca. 18.0° to 11.5° N, 70.0° to 75.5° W) between the breeding site and the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia. Maximum distance from the breeding sites ranged from ca. 500 to 1500 km during the chick-rearing period. During the post-breeding period, each bird dispersed north and used waters west of the Gulf Stream offshore of the midand southern Atlantic coasts of the USA as well as Gulf Stream waters and deeper pelagic waters east of the Gulf Stream. Maximum distance from the breeding sites ranged from ca. 2000 to 2200 km among birds during the nonbreeding period. Petrels used waters located within 14 different exclusive economic zones, suggesting that international collaboration will benefit the development of management strategies for this species.

Phylogenetic relationships of the extinct St Helena petrel,Pterodroma rupinarum Olson, 1975 (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae), based on ancient DNA

Palaeontological studies show that three endemic procellariid seabird species became extinct on the remote island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. At least one of these, Pterodroma rupinarum Olson, 1975, is likely to have survived until human colonization of the island, although it is known only from subfossil bones. Several species of Pterodroma are distributed across the Atlantic, but the skull and bill of Pt. rupinarum were judged to be more similar to the Indo-Pacific Pterodroma rostrata group, which was recently split into the separate genus Pseudobulweria. We used ancient DNA techniques to sequence the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of the extinct Pt. rupinarum, and conducted phylogenetic analyses to investigate the placement of this enigmatic taxon. In trees constructed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference, Pt. rupinarum did not group with Pseudobulweria, but instead fell within a strongly supported clade of Atlantic Pterodroma, including the endangered Black-capped [Pterodroma hasitata (Kuhl, 1820)] and Bermuda [Pterodroma cahow (Nichols & Mowbray, 1916)] petrels, as well as the Macaronesian petrels [Pterodroma madeira Mathews, 1934, Pterodroma feae (Salvadori, 1899) and Pterodroma deserta Mathews, 1934]. Pterodroma rupinarum shared a particularly close relationship with Pt. feae of the Cape Verde Islands, which is also the geographically closest species within the clade. Considering the osteological distinctiveness of Pt. rupinarum it was probably a separate species, or at least a highly diverged population that was isolated for a substantial period of time prior to its extinction.

Mitochondrial DNA Analysis Reveals Substantial Population Structure within the Endangered Black-Capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata)

Abstract. Despite being listed as endangered, substantial morphological and behavioral variation exists within Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) populations. To examine the population genetic structure of the Black-capped Petrel, we amplified Cytochrome Oxidase 1 sequences from museum specimens collected during 1970–1980 off the coast of North Carolina, USA. These sequences revealed a 1.2% fixed genetic difference between dark and light morphs. Individuals with intermediate plumage all grouped phylogenetically with the light morph. Combined with significant differences in body size and phenology, our genetic results suggest breeding isolation of the dark and light morphs. Consistent with other Pterodroma species, our results imply that the Black-capped Petrel may comprise two distinct, reproductively isolated taxa. Further knowledge about the genetic identity of birds at specific nesting colonies will be valuable for geographic delineation of populations.

A late-Holocene bird community from Hispaniola: Refining the chronology of vertebrate extinction in the West Indies

We report 4800+ late-Holocene, non-passerine avian fossils from Trouing Jean Paul, a high-elevation limestone sinkhole in the Morne La Visite region, Massif de la Selle, Haiti. The fossils represent prey remains of two extant owls, the widespread Tyto alba and the Hispaniolan endemic T. glaucops. Among 23 species of birds, only one is extinct (an undescribed woodcock, Scolopax new sp.). Two other species (the petrel Pterodroma hasitata, and the Hispaniolan endemic pauraque Siphonorhis brewsteri) are rare today, the latter now found mainly in dry forest at lower elevations. Two other species (the doves Zenaida aurita and Columbina passerina) are widespread and common today on Hispaniola (and elsewhere) but no longer occur at high elevations. The age of the bone deposit at Trouing Jean Paul (c. 1600–600 cal. BP) is based on six radiocarbon dates from individual bones of the extinct woodcock. The only other extinct Hispaniolan vertebrate with multiple direct radiocarbon dates is the sloth Neocnus comes, with the youngest of seven dates (from five sites) being c. 5000 cal. BP. The fossil assemblage at Trouing Jean Paul does not include the extinct species found in older Holocene sites, such as Neocnus comes and associated species (three other sloths, two monkeys, four rodents, a caracara, flightless rail, and giant barn-owl). Rather, the Trouing Jean Paul fossils portray a late-Holocene bird community that already had experienced four or more millennia of Amerindian presence, but had not yet been influenced by the activities of European or African peoples over the past 500 years. Although only c. 1000 years old, the Trouing Jean Paul bird community has species associations without a modern analog, even if the extinct woodcock is excluded.

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: eighth report

This paper is the seventh report of the TaxonomicSub-Committee (TSC) of the BOU RecordsCommittee (BOURC) relating to the British List.Species-level decisions are based on criteria out-lined by Helbig et al. (2002). The sixth report ofthe Sub-Committee was published by Sangsteret al. (2010a).The Sub-Committee has been working with theAssociation of European Rarities Committees’Taxonomic Advisory Group, which has recentlypublished recommendations online (Crochet et al.2010). The reports of the BOURC and its TSC,which are published in Ibis, remain the officialpublications of the BOU.Capped Petrel [Black-capped Petrel]Pterodroma hasitataCapped Petrel and Bermuda Petrel differ diagnos-ably in pattern and coloration of crown, hindneckand rump, and uppertail-coverts (Brooke 2004,Howell & Patteson 2008). Molecular phylogeneticanalysis further suggests that these are not closelyrelated taxa (Jesus et al. 2009). Capped Petrel andBermuda Petrel are therefore best treated as sepa-rate species:• Capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata (polytypic)• Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow (monotypic)Capped Petrel is in Category A of the BritishList.Water Rail Rallus aquaticusRecent vocal and molecular studies indicate thatWater Rail consists of two distinct lineages (deKroon et al. 2008, Tavares et al. 2010). Two maincall types have been recorded for Rallus aquaticusaquaticus: a long and complex call (the ‘pigsqueal’), and a short and simple call, both repeatedin series, whereas for Rallus aquaticus indicus, onlya complex call type has been recorded, which isdistinct from that of R. a. aquaticus (de Kroonet al. 2008). Preliminary playback experimentsshowed a lack of response of R. a. aquaticus to thecomplex calls of R. a. indicus, suggesting a biologi-cal significance for these differences (de Kroon et al.2008). Phylogeographical analysis of mitochondrialand nuclear DNA sequences places R. a. indicusin a separate clade from the clade containingR. a. aquaticus and Rallus aquaticus korejewi, andfurther showed that these clades are strongly differ-entiated (Tavares et al. 2010). The two groups alsodiffer in plumage (Cramp & Simmons 1980, deKroon 1991, Taylor & van Perlo 1998). Water Railis therefore best treated as two species:• Water Rail Rallus aquaticus (polytypic, withsubspecies aquaticus and korejewi)

Climate change, heightened hurricane activity, and extinction risk for an endangered tropical seabird, the black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata

The destructiveness of major (Category 3 to 5) hurricanes along the United States Atlantic Ocean seaboard has been recognized for centuries. While the effects of hurricanes on coastal ecosystems are well known, the influence of hurricanes on pelagic seabirds is difficult to assess. During the annual Atlantic hurricane season (~1 June to 30 November), the endangered black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata aggregates in Gulf Stream habitats from Florida to North Carolina. On at least 8 occasions over the past century, hurricanes have driven petrels far inland (sometimes as far as the Great Lakes), suggesting the demise of 10s to 100s of individuals. This paper models >100 yr of data to characterize and compare key aspects of hurricanes that did and did not drive petrels inland. Our model suggests that the predicted increase in the frequency of Category 3 to 5 hurricanes in the region due to climate change could nearly double the expected number of wrecked petrels over the next century and place an endangered species at greater risk of extinction.

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: seventh report

Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: seventh report

Phylogenetic relationships of gadfly petrels Pterodroma spp. from the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean: molecular evidence for specific status of Bugio and Cape Verde petrels and implications for conservation

Summary It is widely accepted that the gadfly petrels of the Macaronesian islands comprise three closely related and morphologically similar taxa, Petrodroma madeira from Madeira island, P. deserta (also treated as P. feae deserta) from Bugio and P. feae (also treated as P. feae feae) from Cape Verde Islands. However, the taxonomic rank of each taxon is not well defined, and has been subject to a long debate. Partial sequences of cytochrome b (893 bp) from 39 individuals (five from Madeira, 18 from nearby Bugio, and 16 from Fogo) and morphometric data from five characters from 102 individuals (74 from Bugio and 28 from Fogo in Cape Verde), were used to compare and estimate phylogenetic relationships and the taxonomic status of these petrels. In the phylogenetic analysis and sequence divergence estimation, we also include 23 sequences of 19 Pterodroma species available from GenBank. Our results show that Macaronesian gadfly petrels form a monophyletic clade. Birds from Bugio and Cape Verde are the most closely related taxa followed by those from Madeira. The group formed by the three taxa studied is closely related to Bermuda Petrel P. cahow and Black-capped Petrel P. hasitata. A hypothesis for the colonization of the islands is presented. The level of sequence divergence is sufficient to consider the populations of Bugio and Cape Verde as separate species. Reproductive isolation is supported by exclusive haplotypes and fixed changes. Despite the presence of some significant differences in bill and tarsus measurements, the two species seem to be morphologically similar because the great overlap of variation intervals in the measurements hinders identification. It therefore appears suitable for consideration as a cryptic species. An important conservation implication is that the world population of both species is very small; if treated as a full species, deserta on Bugio may qualify for uplisting to ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.

Systematics of the Soft‐plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis (Procellariidae): new insight from the study of vocalizations

The taxonomic status of the populations of the polytypic Soft‐plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis is controversial. Previous taxonomic studies used morphological characters (measurements and colouration) and univariate statistics. In this study, I add the use of multivariate statistics on morphological (biometry and colouration) and behavioural characters (vocalizations) of the petrels. Vocalizations are especially relevant in nocturnal burrowing petrels (such as the Soft‐plumaged Petrel) and act as behavioural isolating mechanisms. The analysis, based on 535 calls from seven of the 11 known breeding localities of the species, showed that physical parameters of the call did not overlap at all between breeding localities in the northern and southern hemispheres but did so within each hemisphere. Conversely, the morphological analysis, based on morphometries from ten localities, displayed wide and significant intra‐hemisphere variation, whereas there was no consistent difference between northern and southern parts of the breeding range. Thus analysis of the two sets of characters gave contradictory results. Calls, owing to their role in species‐specific recognition in these birds, should be given priority over other characters for species separation. I suggest that only two species should be recognized, Pterodroma mollis and Pterodroma feae, with three subspecies each. I also examined behavioural affinities between P. mollislfeae groups and other gadfly petrels and found that P. mollis/feae were closest to Pterodroma cahow, whilst Pterodroma hasitata on the one hand and Pterodroma phaeopygia and Pterodroma externa (which may comprise two species instead of one) on the other belong to other groups of gadfly petrels.

Remote Characterization of Marine Bird Habitats with Satellite Imagery

-Remote sensing techniques such as radar altimetry, synthetic aperture radar, coastal zone color scanning, and infrared radiometry provide effective, instantaneous, and relatively inexpensive means for characterizing critical habitats of marine birds. In order to make optimal use of satellite-derived data, the rationale for marine habitat classification is presented, and advantages and limitations of different remote sensing techniques are discussed. An application of remote characterization is used to test for short-term habitat use and selection by the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata). By combining synoptic satellite mapping (e.g., infrared radiometry) with ship-board censusing, it was possible to demonstrate that petrels did not use all marine habitats equally, nor did petrels use habitats in proportion to their availability (areal extent). Received 23 June 1988, accepted 27 February 1989.

Seabird segregation at Gulf Stream frontal eddies

Eddies along the western frontal boundary of the Gulf Stream result in the episodic formation of physically and biologically distinct water masses at the continental shelf break (ca 200 m lsobath) off the southeastern United States. Standardized counts of seabirds were made simultaneously with ship-board and satellite-derived (VHRR) hydrographic measurements in 3 eddy-assoc~ated water masses during July 1983, and in 4 water masses during August 1984. Two statistical models were used to test for significant relations between seabird species composition and these water masses. Contingency analyses of abundance data from both cruises revealed that seabird specles were not distributed independently of water mass type (p < ,005). Tested against the null hypothesis of homogeneous species' abundances, 85 % of common (densities 2 0 5 birds km-2) seabird species exhibited significant affinities for a single water mass. The aerially foraging and feeding black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata and bridled tern Sterna anaethetus were most abundant in oligotrophic Gulf Stream and warm filament water, respectively. Species foraging on the ocean surface and feeding for more prolonged periods, shearwaters Puffinus gravis and Calonectrjs diornedea and storm-petrels Oceanites oceanicus and Oceanodroma castro, were most abundant in the upwelled cold core of the eddy. Interspecific variation in seabird affinities for meso-scale (50 to 150 km) water masses can be attributed to trophic segregation originating from species-specific foraging behaviors, and oceanographic processes that dlrectly or indirectly influence prey availability. These patterns indicate that apex marine consumers parallel other taxa and trophic groups in their responses to environmental heterogeneity induced by western boundary currents. Gulf Stream frontal eddies persist at 'event' time scales (2 to 14 d ) , thereby further suggesting that some seab~rds are functionally integrated with marine communities affiliated with relatively small, ephemeral, and kinetic physical features.

Discovery of Breeding Black-Capped Petrels on Hispaniola

THE status of the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata), which formerly bred on several West Indian islands, has been obscure since late in the nineteenth century, when the location of the diminishing breeding colonies was lost to science. The early history and decline of this species has been well summarized by Bent (1922) and Murphy (1936). Both authors suggested that the species might be nearing extinction. In 1951, a breeding colony of the closely allied Cahow (Pterodroma cahow) was discovered on Bermuda (Murphy and Mowbray, 1951). This event bode well for the status of P. hasitata for it soon became evident from a study of the Cahow that the survival problems facing that species since the seventeenth century must have been greater than any likely to have confronted the Black-capped Petrel. It seemed probable, even in 1960, that a breeding colony of the latter might survive in some part of the former range. Published references to the bird after 1900 support this view, although they deal mainly with sightings and specimen records. Nichols (1913) and Wetmore (1927) have observed P. hasitata at sea during the present century. Wetmore saw several Black-capped Petrels in the Sargasso area of the Caribbean in 1920. In view of the vast ocean range characteristic of most petrels, this species must still have been fairly numerous at that date. A similar conclusion might be drawn from the record of an adult female found dead on Fairfield Beach, Connecticut, after the disastrous hurricane of 21 September 1938 (Holman, 1952). Hobley (1932) reported an adult picked up apparently exhausted in the streets of Roseau, in Dominica, on 2 May 1932. Although there is no positive indication that this bird came from a breeding colony on Dominica, it may be significant that this is the only island within the former breeding range of P. hasitata on which the mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) has not been introduced. The remaining published records pointed to Hispaniola as the last major breeding ground, and also gave some indication of comparative breeding success as late as 1938. Wetmore and Swales (1931) noted the capture of a specimen at Moca, an inland locality in the Dominican Republic, on 15 May 1928, and in another paper Wetmore (1932) stated that no less than 4 specimens were taken and fully 100 observed on this occasion. At a later date, Wetmore (1939) reported on a fledgling, not long out of the nest, captured on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 30 June 1938. James Bond (pers. comm.), who visited La Selle Ridge in Haiti in the summers of 1928, 1930, and 1941, was told by the natives that a ducklike nocturnal bird occurred there in winter. This seems

THE BREEDING BIRDS OF BERMUDA.

Summary. The Bermudas are a small group of oceanic islets 600 miles from land in the eastern North Atlantic. This paper is an attempt to define the unusual features of the ornithology based upon personal experience from 1940 to 1944 and a review of the literature. Many lost migrants visit the group, but the resident community is restricted to roughly twenty species, all of which were once abundant. A hawk and several sea‐and water‐birds were exterminated after the islands were colonized in the seventeenth century; the present community includes reduced numbers of aix sea‐, four water‐, and ten land‐birds, of which four at least were introduced by man and others may be recent arrivals. The Barn Owl Tyto alba and the Common Tern Sterna hirundo have colonized the group since 1930. Several other introductions which were temporarily established have died out. The smaller land‐birds are unusually abundant and exploit an unusually wide range of habitats in the absence of competition for food from related species. The numbers of the Bluebird Sialia sialis and possibly other species have fallen since the arrival of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus. Most birds are unusually tame, and show peculiarities of voice and behaviour; they nest unusually high in trees, and build large exposed nests. There are two good endemic races, Vireo griseus bermudianus and Pterodroma hasitata cahovi.

A Record for the Black-Capped Petrel, Pterodroma hasitata, in Martinique

A Record for the Black-Capped Petrel, Pterodroma hasitata, in Martinique

West Indian Black-Capped Petrel, Pterodroma hasitata, Picked up on Fairfield Beach, Connecticut

West Indian Black-Capped Petrel, Pterodroma hasitata, Picked up on Fairfield Beach, Connecticut

Black-Capped Petrel in New York

Black-Capped Petrel in New York

A Record of the Black-Capped Petrel from Haiti

A Record of the Black-Capped Petrel from Haiti