Pterodroma cahow
The Bermuda Petrel, or Cahow, is a medium-sized seabird, measuring approximately 38 cm (15 in) in length with a wingspan of about 86 cm (34 in). Its plumage features a dark sooty-grey upperbody, a distinctive dark 'M' pattern across its upperwings, a dark cap, and a contrasting white lower face, throat, and belly. The underwings are dark, giving it a striking bicolored appearance in flight. Its strong, hooked bill is dark, adapted for seizing slippery prey. Taxonomically, it belongs to the Pr...
This highly pelagic species spends most of its life at sea, returning only to breed on small, predator-free rocky islets off the coast of Bermuda.
The Bermuda Petrel feeds primarily on small fish, squid, and crustaceans caught by surface-seizing or shallow pursuit-diving in the open ocean.
Cahows are strictly nocturnal on land, flying to and from their breeding burrows under the cover of darkness to avoid predators like gulls. At sea, they are pelagic, foraging during the day over vast stretches of the North Atlantic. Their foraging strategy primarily involves surface-seizing and s...
The Bermuda Petrel is endemic to Bermuda for breeding, nesting exclusively on a handful of small, rocky offshore islets within the Castle Harbour area, including Nonsuch Island, Cooper's Island, and other smaller cays. After the breeding season, adults and fledglings disperse widely across the No...
Endangered
- The Bermuda Petrel was thought to be extinct for 330 years, often referred to as a 'Lazarus species' after its dramatic rediscovery in 1951. - Its distinctive, wailing night calls, which sound like 'cahow,' are what gave the bird its common name. - It is one of the world's rarest seabirds, with...