Solander's Petrel

Of roughly pigeon like proportions , the bird was once also numerous on Norfolk Island . However, its population here was consumed by starving epicurean transportees, sent to Norfolk Island as way of punishment. Nonetheless it numbers some 100,000 on Lord Howe. Graceful and supple in flight, the Providence Petrel has a cumbersome propensity on the ground, making it vulnerable from attack by predators.

The Solander's Petrel is classified as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

Solander's Petrel in British Columbia Solander's Petrel, October 6, 2009, British Columbia, by Sharon Toochin. This photo is one of a series by Sharon Toochin of an apparent first photographically documented record of Solander's Petrel in North America. Photo used with permission. Click photo for larger view. The status of Solander's Petrel, also known as Providence Petrel, Pterodroma solanderi, is an enigma off the Pacific coast of North America. More

A probable Solander's Petrel was photographed by Peter Pyle off Cape Mendocino on 8 August 2005. The exact location was 40.02 N, 128.01 W, 173 n. miles W of Cape Mendocino, Humbolt County. The observation was made during NOAA's CSCAPE ecosystem assessment Cruise. Photos copyright by Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA. 4(9) More

Solander's Petrel is larger (though size is often difficult to discern if no other birds are present), lacks the white patch on the upperwing, has a wedge-shaped tail and larger bill, when seen at close range. The species also tends to exhibit a hooded effect. Grey-faced or Great-winged Petrel can be eliminated due to the lack of white patches on both the upperwing and underwing. Kerguelen Petrel can also be eliminated by the lack of patches on the upperwing. More

The first North American report of Solander's Petrel was by experienced seabird researcher Terry Wahl. He spotted 4 dark Pterodroma 55-70 miles off Oregon on 20 May 1981. He identified them as Solander's Petrels. His cruise continued into California waters, where he found many more dark petrels. These, however, he identified as Murphy's Petrels. Both sightings would have been North American firsts. The very next month, on 15 June 1981, a beach-cast specimen of Murphy's Petrel was found near Newport, Oregon. More

stammer, "I think it's a Solander's Petrel!" Although that bird drifted away, we quickly got into position and started spotting more, and this time we were ready with the cameras. Research and photo review confirmed my initial impression-these were Solander's Petrels, not Murphy's. Solander's Petrel is unknown from the ABA-Area (although there have been at least a couple of sight reports) and we were nothing short of shocked to find at least 9 (maybe as many as 18) within a half-day's sail of US waters. More

Solander's Petrel for North America, seen 28nm off British Columbia on Oct 6, 2009. Photos at: http://groups.yahoo. More