Interesting Gould's Petrel Pic

["Mike Carter" <>]

 

I find the picture only slightly atypical and can explain to myself the perceived variation from normal. I have compared it with one of my own photos of a Gould's Petrel Pterodroma leucoptera [caledonica] taken at sea off Port Fairy in Victoria. This was also in March (2001). The bird in my photo shows more white on the forehead and a more extensive black collar on the foreneck (so it doesn't form a straight line) but is otherwise basically similar. The underwing pattern beyond the carpal is almost identical. However the black diagonal line on the inner underwing is much less prominent in my bird as it nears the subhumerals (armpits) because it is narrower. Thus I would regard my bird as typical. Both birds have the posterior margin of the black line in the same position of the wing. Thus all the added width in the Gold Coast bird is along the anterior margin. I suspect that what has happened, is that some of the shorter, white, lesser under secondary coverts have moulted out exposing black bases to the underlying feathers. Looking at the hand-held Collared Petrel P. (l.) brevipes , plate 4, p. 53 of Enticott & Tipling, Photographic Handbook of Seabirds of the World, I could imagine that such a phenomena might occur.   

 

I would be interested to learn what it is about the underside of the remiges that you consider rules out brevipes.

 

Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mt Eliza    VIC     3930
Ph:  (03) 9787 7136
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