Magenta Petrel
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| Magenta Petrel Conservation status: Critical | ||||||||||||||
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| Pterodroma magentae (Giglioli & Salvadori, 1869) |
The Magenta Petrel or Chatham Island Taiko (Pterodroma magentae) is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma.
The Magenta Petrel was rediscovered in 1978 on Chatham Island, New Zealand, having first been collected at sea in 1867. It nests in one small colony under dense forest.
This medium-sized petrel has a brownish-grey back and wings, The undersides of the wings are brown and the belly is white. It has a black bill and pink legs.
This species is classified as critically endangered due to an assumed 80% decline in population in the last 60 years and the fact that it is restricted to one small location. The current population is estimated at between 100 and 150.
Reference
BirdLife International Species Factsheet (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3904&m=0)