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Volume 52, No. 1

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First record of Pincoya Storm Petrel Oceanites pincoyae from Africa, with implications for the taxonomy and ecology of Oceanites storm petrels.


Authors

GABRIEL A. JAMIE1,2 & NIALL T. KEOGH3
1Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
2FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa (gaj29@cam.ac.uk)
3Irish Rare Birds Committee, BirdWatch Ireland, Unit 20, Block D, Bullford Business Campus, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow, A63 RW83, Ireland (nialltkeogh@hotmail.com)

Citation

JAMIE, G.A. & KEOGH, N.T. 2024. First record of Pincoya Storm Petrel Oceanites pincoyae from Africa, with implications for the taxonomy and ecology of Oceanites storm petrels.. Marine Ornithology 52: 17 - 21
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.52.1.1554

Received 13 June 2023, accepted 17 July 2023

Date Published: 2024/04/15
Date Online: 2024/02/10
Key words: Pincoya Storm Petrel range, Pincoya Storm Petrel conservation, Oceanites identification, Oceanites taxonomy, vagrancy

Abstract

On 16 May 2021, a storm petrel was photographed on a pelagic trip in the Benguela Current off Cape Town, South Africa, exhibiting the diagnostic features of Pincoya Storm Petrel Oceanites pincoyae. This sighting occurred far from other records, the closest being approximately 7500 km away. The record, therefore, requires us to reassess our understanding of the movements and ecology of Pincoya Storm Petrel, which was previously known only from shallow waters in fjords and adjacent seas in south-central Chile. Pincoya Storm Petrel is considered Data Deficient by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the breeding range remains unknown, and the population was estimated to number only around 3000 individuals. While Pincoya Storm Petrel is recognised as a valid species by the International Ornithological Congress (IOC), eBird/Clements checklists, and the South American Classification Committee, its taxonomic status has been questioned. This sighting of a bird with all the features of Pincoya Storm Petrel distant from previous sightings, and in a markedly different ecological setting, may lead us to re-evaluate our understanding of species limits and phenotypic variation in Oceanites storm petrels. Further research to collect phenotypic, phylogenetic, and phenological data will allow us to re-examine species boundaries in Oceanites and enhance our understanding of this fascinating genus.

References


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