Herald petrel

The Herald petrel (Pterodroma heraldica) is a seabird belonging to the gadfly petrel group. It inhabits the south Pacific and Indian Oceans. This bird measures 35 to 39 centimeters in length, with a wingspan of 88 to 102 centimeters. It was once considered the same species as the Trindade petrel and the Henderson petrel.

Habitat and range

The Herald petrel appears in several color forms, including dark, light, and intermediate variations. For nesting, it uses oceanic islands and atolls, choosing cliff ledges, ridges, or rocky slopes. On some islands, feral cats and rats threaten nesting birds. While its main range is the south Pacific, it has also been spotted in Hawaii.

In May 2007, a Herald petrel tagged on Raine Island in 1984 was observed near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, greatly extending knowledge of the species’ lifespan and range. In 2009 it was identified as this species, from what was previously an unidentified Pterodroma species, to be breeding on Round Island, 22 km north of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. In August 2017, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services staff confirmed a Herald petrel chick had hatched on Raine Island, after an adult was seen caring for a single egg in June 2017.

Conservation status

The sighted chick was the first time a Herald petrel was seen to breed in 30 years. Raine Island is the only known Herald petrel breeding site in Australia. The species is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List. However, under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (effective July 2002) and the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 (November 2021 list), it is classified as critically endangered.

A recovery plan was in place from 2005 to 2015, but none is currently operational, as the species has high government protection and relatively few, well-managed threats on Raine Island. A 2018 study ranked the Herald petrel ninth among Australian birds most likely to go extinct.