Pterodroma longirostris: Stejneger's Petrel

Stejneger's Petrel - Pterodroma longirostris
( Stejneger, 1893 )

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Subspecies:	Unknown
Est. World Population:	262000

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

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

Life Span:	in the Wild
Life Span:	in Captivity

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

It nests in burrows on slopes in Dicksonia externa fern-forest and adjacent grasslands at elevations of 700-1,120 m (J. C. Torres-Mura in litt. 1999, Reyes-Arriagada et al. 2012). Breeding begins in November. One egg is laid in late November-early December with hatching in late January-mid February. Fledging occurs in May. The species forms mixed-species colonies with Juan Fernandez Petrel P. externa (Carboneras 1992), typically forming small monospecific clusters of burrows in shallow soils within the larger P. externa colony (Hodum and Wainstein 2003, 2004; Reyes-Arriagada et al. 2012). It feeds in pelagic waters primarily on squid and small fish (Hodum and Wainstein 2003, 2004).

Range:

Pterodroma longirostris breeds on Alejandro Selkirk Island in the Juan Fernández Islands, Chile. The population is estimated at less than 131,000 pairs and declining (Carboneras 1992, Hodum and Wainstein 2003, 2004). The species is a migrant to the north-west Pacific off Japan (Roberson and Bailey 1991). Birds appear to move through a corridor south-east of Hawaii in April-June (Roberson and Bailey 1991), with some straying as far south as North Island, New Zealand (Falla 1962). There may be a clockwise movement through the northern Pacific in late summer and autumn, with birds recorded off California, U.S.A. (Roberson and Bailey 1991).

Conservation:

Conservation Actions Underway

The Juan Fernández Islands were designated as a national park in 1935 (protected from 1967) and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977 (Stattersfield et al. 1998, J. C. Torres-Mura in litt. 1999). The Chilean government began a habitat restoration programme in 1997 (J. C. Torres-Mura in litt. 1999) which included goat control, but it concluded in 2003. The islands have been nominated for World Heritage listing (Hulm 1995). Park rangers have been trained in fighting fires, but there is only one ranger on Alejandro Selkirk (J. C. Torres-Mura in litt. 1999). Sheep were removed from Alejandro Selkirk in 1983 (Carboneras 1992). Population monitoring plots were established between 2003-2006 by Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge (Hodum 2009). Oikonos also maintains an ongoing small-scale community conservation education programme in the islands, including on Alejandro Selkirk. Incipient invasive plant species are also being systematically eliminated from the island by Oikonos in collaboration with the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF), the Chilean agency that administers the park.

Conservation Actions Proposed

Maintain and expand population monitoring plots (Hodum and Wainstein 2003, 2004, Hodum 2009). Determine contemporary breeding population size. Eradicate introduced fauna (feral cats, rats, mice and goats) from Alejandro Selkirk. Eradicate invasive and incipient invasive plant species from the island. Improve community awareness of the status of the species and the need for eradication programmes.