Black-capped Petrel
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| Black-capped Petrel | ||||||||||||||
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| Pterodroma hasitata (Kuhl,, 1820) |
The Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. It is also known as the Diabolin. The extinct Jamaica Petrel was a dark form of this bird.
The Black-capped Petrel breeds on cliffs in the mountains of Haiti. It was formerly much more widespread in the West Indies. It is an uncommon but regular visitor to the southeastern USA, and an extremely rare wanderer to western Europe.
This seabird is nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow.
This long-winged petrel has a grey-brown back and wings, with a white nape and rump. Underparts are mainly white apart from a black eye patch and some dark underwing makings. It picks planktonic food items from the ocean surface.