







| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | AVES | Procellariiformes | Procellariidae |
| Scientific Name: | Pterodroma sandwichensis | |||
| Species Authority: | (Ridgway, 1884) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Red List Category & Criteria: | Vulnerable B2ab(iv,v) ver 3.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Year Assessed: | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assessor/s | BirdLife International | ||||||||||||||||||
| Evaluator/s: | Butchart, S. & Taylor, J. (BirdLife International Red List Authority) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Justification: This species qualifies as Vulnerable because it has a very small breeding range. It is known from five locations in the main Hawaiian islands, and the future of at least two are in jeopardy (Mauna Loa and West Maui). Its limited distribution and declines primarily result from predation by introduced mammals and urbanisation. |
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| History: |
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| Population: |
Spear et al. (1995) give a best estimate of 3,750-4,500 breeding pairs based on at-sea surveys. However, the discovery of possibly several thousand birds breeding on Lâna`i during terrestrial surveys in 2006-2007 and two small colonies on West Maui (J. Penniman in litt. 2007), probably in the tens or low hundreds of birds (D. Ainley in litt. 2007), brings the estimated breeding population close to the upper estimate of 6,500-8,300 pairs calculated by Spear et al. (1995).
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| Population Trend: |
Decreasing
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| Habitat and Ecology: | On Maui and Hawai`i, nesting takes place mainly between 2,000 and 3,000 m (lower elsewhere), on bare ground with sparse shrubs or ferns, or in native grasslands with bracken1,3,9. Pairs build nests in cavities in the volcanic terrain or in burrows beneath rocks, and at lower altitudes excavate burrows or nest in cavities at the base of trees3,9. The diet comprises fish, molluscs and crustaceans, with squid constituting c.50-75% of the food ingested9. |
| Systems: | Marine |
| Major Threat(s): | The most serious threat is predation by introduced mammals including feral cats and small Indian mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus (although the latter is not yet established on Kaua`i or Lana`i). The population on Hawai`i is probably declining as a result, and the south-east Mauna Loa colony may soon be lost9. Fledglings occasionally become grounded after colliding with lights8. Mortality sometimes results from collisions with fences and powerlines4,9. |
| Conservation Actions: |
Conservation actions underway: CMS Appendix I. On Maui, there is a long-term monitoring programme in the Haleakala National Park9 and efforts are made to control introduced mammals. On Maui and Kaua`i, grounded fledglings are collected and released, and fencing erected for forest conservation has been modified to reduce collisions9. On Kaua`i, street lighting is shielded in critical areas and lighting on some buildings has been modified to reduce collisions2,9. Conservation actions proposed:Reduce collisions with powerlines by making them more visible, burying them or moving them further inland where birds fly higher4. Ensure lighting does not attract petrels2. Control predators in known colonies5 especially at the declining colony on Mauna Loa.
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| Citation: | BirdLife International 2008. Pterodroma sandwichensis. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 March 2010. |
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