Pterodroma magentae
The Magenta Petrel, *Pterodroma magentae*, is a medium-sized gadfly petrel, measuring approximately 38 cm (15 inches) in length with a wingspan of 91-102 cm (36-40 inches) and weighing 350-450 grams. Its plumage is characterized by dark grey-brown upperparts, a distinctive dark cap extending below the eye, a pale greyish-white collar on the nape, and clean white underparts with dark underwing coverts. The dark bill and pinkish legs with dark webs are also key identifiers. This species belongs...
Primarily a pelagic species, spending most of its life at sea. It breeds exclusively in dense, montane rainforests on steep slopes, constructing burrows at elevations typically above 250 meters.
Their diet consists primarily of cephalopods (squid), supplemented by small fish and crustaceans. Foraging occurs opportunistically at the ocean surface.
Magenta Petrels are largely nocturnal on their breeding grounds, arriving at burrows after dusk and departing before dawn to avoid aerial predators. At sea, they are pelagic, often foraging by surface-seizing and dabbling, sometimes associated with tuna schools, targeting smaller prey driven to t...
The Magenta Petrel has an extremely restricted breeding range, exclusively found on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, where it nests in dense, montane rainforests on steep slopes, typically above 250 meters elevation. Outside the breeding season, these birds disperse widely across the ...
Critically Endangered
- The Magenta Petrel was thought extinct for 114 years after its last sighting in 1867, until its dramatic rediscovery in 1983 by ornithologist Don Merton. - Local Rarotongan Māori call the bird 'Kua-kua', a name derived from its distinctive call. - It is one of the rarest seabirds in the world, ...