baraus petrel

The Barau's Petrel is a medium-sized petrel. The upper-parts are dark greyish and the underparts are white. On the upper-parts, we can see pale grey fringes to the slate-grey feathers from hindneck to uppertail-coverts, scapulars and anterior base of upper-wing. Rest of upper-wing is darker, mostly dark grey to blackish, usually paler on greater coverts and base of secondaries and inner primaries. The typical "M" pattern extends across back and upperwing-coverts, but it is less conspicuous than in other species. The uppertail is dark grey. The underwing is white except a narrow, dark trailing edge and a blackish leading edge on carpal area, continuing as narrow dark bar across central underwing. The undertail is dark grey with whitish bases, but mostly white on outer rectrices. On the head, the forehead has slightly mottled pattern with blackish-grey feathers showing broad white edges. This pattern may extend to the rear of the superciliary area. Crown and nape are blackish-grey, extending down around the eye and to upper ear-coverts, involving capped appearance. Lower face and sides of forehead are white, but a grey area on the neck sides forms a partial collar. The bill is black. The eyes are dark brown. Legs and base of feet are pale pink, whereas rest of feet and outer toes are blackish. The female has similar plumage but she is slightly smaller. The juvenile resembles adults.

Ofter feeds with other seabirds, sometimes near fishing boats. Feeds by seizing prey from the surface or by dipping. Largely white underwing with black aband on leading and trailing edges. Pelagic. Globally threatened.

The petrels are highly pelagic at sea, preying on small fish (10 cm) by surface-seizing and plunge diving. They will associate with other species while feeding.

The Barau's Petrel is silent at sea, but at colonies, it gives typical "oaoou" followed by "kekekeke" often repeated two or three times. We can also hear a "pick-tek" derived from the previous ones.

Barau's petrel (Pterodroma baraui) is a medium-sized gadfly petrel from the family Procellariidae. Its main breeding site is the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Barau's petrel is around 40 cm long and has white undersides and forehead. Its bill is black and its upper parts are dark with a moderately distinct "M" pattern across the wings and back. Barau's petrel ranges across the Indian Ocean from Réunion to Western Australia and Indonesia. With the exception of a single nest found on the island of Rodrigues the bulk of the population is thought to nest on Réunion. Their colonies are unusual in being far inland and at high elevations they dig burrows under the forest at around 2400-2700m above sea level. The breeding biology of the species has not been studied but it is inferred that they have a 55-day incubation period and take around 100&ndash120 days to fledge a chick. Unlike most burrow nesting procellariids Barau's petrels begin to return to their colonies diurnally returning in the late afternoon and riding the thermal updrafts to conserve energy. The chicks fledge between November and February. Sites which have been identified by BirdLife International as being important for the conservation of the species include the Grand Bénard &ndash Tapcal and Piton des Neiges &ndash Gros Morne Important Bird Areas (IBAs) on Réunion where breeding colonies exist