Pterodroma cookii
Pterodroma cookii, the Cook's Petrel, is a charismatic, medium-small seabird belonging to the Procellariidae family, famed for its epic trans-Pacific migrations. Measuring approximately 25-30 cm in length with a wingspan of 55-65 cm and weighing 120-200 grams, it exhibits a striking plumage of dark grey upperparts, a distinct 'M' shaped pattern across its wings when viewed from above, and contrasting pure white underparts. Key identification marks include a dark eye patch, a slender dark bill...
Primarily a pelagic species, spending most of its life over open ocean. It breeds exclusively on remote, predator-free islands, nesting in montane or sub-alpine forests, typically at elevations between 300-800 meters.
Primarily feeds on small schooling fish (e.g., lanternfish), squid, and crustaceans, which it catches by surface-seizing or shallow-plunging into the water.
Cook's Petrels are intensely nocturnal at their breeding colonies, arriving and departing under the cloak of darkness to evade aerial predators like gulls and skuas; during the day at sea, they are pelagic and active. Foraging occurs over vast ocean expanses, primarily employing surface-seizing o...
Cook's Petrels are endemic breeders to New Zealand, currently restricted to two main island colonies: Hauturu (Little Barrier Island) and Whenua Hou (Codfish Island). Historically, they also bred on Great Barrier Island, but are now extinct there due to introduced predators. After breeding, these...
Endangered
- Named after the famed explorer Captain James Cook, though it is uncertain if he ever personally encountered the species. - Cook's Petrels undertake one of the longest migrations of any seabird, crossing the entire Pacific Ocean from New Zealand to the eastern Pacific and back annually. - They a...