Pterodroma defilippiana: Defilippe's Petrel

Defilippe's Petrel - Pterodroma defilippiana
( Giglioli & Salvadori, 1869 )

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Subspecies:	Unknown
Est. World Population:	5554

CITES Status:	NOT LISTED
IUCN Status:	Vulnerable
U.S. ESA Status:	NOT LISTED

Body Length:
Tail Length:
Shoulder Height:
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Top Speed:
Jumping Ability:	(Horizontal)

Life Span:	in the Wild
Life Span:	in Captivity

Sexual Maturity:	(Females)
Sexual Maturity:	(Males)
Litter Size:
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Habitat:

This species breeds on sheltered cliff-ledges, crevices, caverns and amongst boulders at the foot of lava cliffs. It nests colonially, with eggs apparently laid late July-early August, chicks hatching in September-early October and colonies abandoned in December (Hodum 2012). However, it has been reported breeding in February on San Félix.

Range:

Pterodroma defilippiana is an east Pacific seabird, currently breeding on three or four islands off the coast of Chile. In the Desventuradas Islands, 10,000 or more birds occurred on San Ambrosio in 1970, with an additional 150-200 pairs on San Félix. The most recent estimate is 4,600 breeding individuals on San Ambrosio (Hodum 2012). In the Juan Fernández Islands, it has possibly been extirpated on Robinson Crusoe, and the population on Santa Clara was suggested at hundreds, possibly thousands, in 1986, but available habitat was found for only 100-200 individuals in 1991. A recent estimate for the Juan Fernández Islands was 954 breeding individuals, of which 327 breeding pairs are on Santa Clara (Hodum 2012). The remaining breeding birds are on small rock stacks immediately offshore of Robinson Crusoe.
It ranges at sea in the nearby Peru Current, south of the equator (Roberson and Bailey 1991, Spear et al. 1992).

Conservation:

Conservation Actions Underway

The Juan Fernández Islands were designated as a National Park in 1935 (protected from 1967) and a Biosphere Reserve in 1977. The Chilean government began a habitat restoration programme in 1997 (J. C. Torres-Mura in litt. 1999), and the islands have been nominated for World Heritage listing (Hulm 1995). Mapping of breeding colonies and a population estimate for all breeding locations except for San Félix were completed in 2010-2012 by Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge. A long-term breeding season monitoring program was established on Santa Clara in 2010 by Oikonos. Monitoring on San Ambrosio is being planned by Oikonos for the 2016 breeding season, in collaboration with local fishermen. Oikonos has also undertaken awareness-building programs with the local community in Juan Fernández.

Conservation Actions Proposed

Continuing the long-term monitoring programme, and conduct assessments of foraging areas during the breeding season and any possible interactions with fisheries. Remove all introduced mammals, initially within intensively managed, fenced, feasibility study areas.