New Petrel Discovery Discussed

Monteiro’s Storm-petrel breeds in the spring. Photo: Killian Mullarney
(Fotos retiradas do site da Birdwatch, onde há mais informação sobre esta ave.)

There has been a further discussion of the new bird discovery, the Monteiro’s Storm-petrel (Oceanodroma monteiroi), a new species from the Azores.

The insights are via a compilation of the British Ornithologists’ Union journal, 2008.

ABSTRACT
The existence of two seasonally distinct breeding populations of Oceanodroma storm-petrels in the Azores islands was first documented in 1996. The discovery of morphological differences between the populations led to the suggestion that they may represent cryptic sibling species. Recent mtDNA and microsatellite analysis from storm-petrel populations has considerably advanced our understanding of their taxonomic relationships. Here we present new information on the timing of breeding and moult of the two Azores populations, the extent of exchange of individuals between seasons, and diet from feather isotopes. We conclude that the hot-season Azores population should be considered a new species for which we propose the name Oceanodroma monteiroi, Monteiro’s Storm-petrel. The species is both genetically distinct and genetically isolated from the sympatric cool-season population of Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro, and from all other populations of Oceanodroma castro in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans examined to date. Differences in the vocalizations permit species recognition, and the extent of primary feather wear and stage of moult aids separation of the two species in the Azores, which is especially valuable during August when both attend the breeding colonies in large numbers. Feather carbon and nitrogen isotopes reveal that the diet of Monteiro’s Storm-petrel differs from that of the sympatric Madeiran Storm-petrel during both breeding and non-breeding seasons, and unlike the Madeiran Storm-petrel, Monteiro’s Storm-petrel appears to maintain the same foraging environment during the summer and winter months, though it shows a dietary shift to higher trophic levels during the non-breeding season. Monteiro’s Storm-petrel is thought to be confined to the Azores archipelago, where it is currently known to nest on just two small neighbouring islets. The total population size was estimated at 250–300 pairs in 1999.

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

Email • Facebook • Twitter •