Beck's Petrel

Beck’s Petrel, Pseudobulweria becki, is a small, recently rediscovered gadfly petrel. It is dark brown above and on the head and throat. It is dark underneath the wings with a fairly distinct white wingbar. The belly and breast are white. It flies over open oceans with straight wings that are slightly bent back at the tips.

The Beck's Petrel is classified as Critically Endangered (CR), facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

English: Beck's Petrel, Solomon Island petrel, Solomon Islands Petrel, Tahiti Petrel Spanish: Petrel de Beck Estonian: saalomonisaarte tormilind Finnish: salomoninviistäjä, Salomonsaartenviistäjä French: Diablotin de Beck, Pétrel de Beck Italian: Petrello delle Solomon, Petrello di Beck Latin: Pseudobulweria becki, Pseudobulweria rostrata becki, Pterodroma becki, Pterodroma rostrata becki Dutch: Solomomstormvogel, Solomonsstormvogel, Solomon-stormvogel Polish: petrel melanezyjski Slovak: víchrovník šalamúnsky Avibase has been visited 75376084 times since 24 June 2003. More

Unfortunately, many other seabirds share Beck's Petrel's shaky hold on existence. Approximately 79 species of petrels and shearwaters make up the family Procellaridae, and they occur throughout the earth's oceans. Despite the abundance of such birds as Northern Fulmar and Sooty Shearwater, "as many as 20 worldwide may be in danger," according to The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. The genus that Beck's belongs to, Pseudobulweria, includes four other species: St. More

The critically endangered Beck's petrel was re-discovered in the Bismarck Archipelago, in the south-west Pacific Ocean, north-east of Papua New Guinea. The Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club this week published a paper about the expedition by its leader, Israeli ornithologist and writer Hadoram Shirihai. More

observe about 4 to 6 individual Beck's Petrels, sometimes in direct comparison with the similar, but larger, Tahiti Petrels on 15 April. In addition, another highlight of this region was sightings of about 10 Heinroth's Shearwaters on 13 April, as we were departing the Solomon Islands. This little known shearwater has been seen by only a few people. Another highlight was sighting Sperm Whales, False Killer Whales and Dwarf Pygmy Sperm Whales, logging on the sea. More

fileAn adult Beck's petrel photographed off the north-east coast of Papua New Guinea in August 2007. The Beck's petrel had been not seen for almost 80 years. More

In this photo provided by Hadoram Shirihai, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a Beck's petrel is seen in the summer of 2007 in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. (AP Photo/Hadoram Shirhai, RSPB) In this photo provided by Hadoram Shirihai, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a Beck's petrel is seen in the summer of 2007 in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. (AP Photo/Hadoram... (Associated Press) A birder looks through binoculars. (AP Photo/Matthew S. Gunby. File) A birder looks through binoculars. (AP Photo/Matthew S. Gunby. More

Beck's petrel hadn't been seen since 1920s Mar 8, 08 10:45 AM CST 'Extinct' Bird Flies Again - Beck's petrel hadn't been seen since 1920s (Newser) - The Beck’s petrel, a bird last seen in the 1920s and long thought extinct, appears to be very much alive, the AP reports. More

The Beck's petrel was photographed last summer by an Israeli ornithologist in the Bismarck Archipelago, a group of islands northeast of Papua New Guinea. Hadoram Shirihai, who led an expedition to find the seabird, returned with photographs of more than 30 of the birds and a freshly dead specimen found at sea — evidence that has so far convinced several experts. Shirihai's photographs and his report were published in "The Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club" on Friday. More

Beck's Petrel Flies Back From Presumed Extinction = ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2008) — A bird not seen for almost 80 years has been discovered in the Pacific to the delight of conservationists. More

Beck's Petrel Flies Back From Presumed Extinction Print Phoenix sciencedaily.com Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:50 EDT A bird not seen for almost 80 years has been discovered in the Pacific to the delight of conservationists. Becks Petrel Pseudobulweria becki ©Hadoram Shirihai Recently fledged juvenile Beck's Petrel Pseudobulweria becki, off Cape St George, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, August 2007. More

"Mr Shirihai photographed more than 30 individual Beck's petrels on the voyage, Mr Askew said. "He also observed young juveniles in flight, which indicated the birds were breeding nearby, and recovered a dead Beck's petrel from the sea - now only the third museum-held specimen." ... "The Beck's petrel is a sea bird that may be nocturnal and is thought to breed in the Bismarck Archipelago, in an area of circular, mountainous islands. More

In this photo provided by Hadoram Shirihai, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a Beck's petrel is seen in the summer of 2007 in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. The pale-bellied bird species last seen in the 1920s and long thought to be extinct has been rediscovered near Papua New Guinea. More