About Pterodroma nigripennis (Rothschild, 1893)
Scientific Classification and Body Shape
The black-winged petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis (Rothschild, 1893)) is a small petrel species with long, narrow wings. It averages 29 centimetres (11 inches) in length, and has an average wingspan of 67 centimetres (26 inches).
Head and Body Structure
It has a small head, a short black beak, a slender body, and a square-cut tail. Its cap and nape are pale grey, its cheeks are white, and it has a dark grey collar.
Dorsal Coloration
The dorsal surface of its body is pale grey; the upperside of its wings is pale grey near the base, and dark greyish-black along the outer edge.
Ventral and Appendage Coloration
The petrel's underparts are white, the outer edges of its wings are black, and its tail is marked with black and white bars.
General Habitat
This is a pelagic species native to the East Pacific Ocean, that lives out at open sea and only comes to land to breed.
Breeding Range
Its breeding range extends from Lord Howe Island and eastern Australia eastward to New Caledonia, New Zealand (including the Kermadec Islands, Three Kings Islands, and Chatham Islands), and the Austral Islands of French Polynesia.
Largest Breeding Colony
The world's largest colony of black-winged petrels is located on Macauley Island, part of the Kermadec Islands.
Non-breeding Distribution
Outside of the breeding season, this species migrates further north, and is most commonly found across a broad belt of ocean between Peru and Hawaii.
