58 Short Note

Notornis, 2005, Vol. 52: 58-59 0029-4470 © The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc. 2005

SHORT NOTE The feather louse Halipeurus kermadecensis, regularly hosted by Kermadec petrels, is present on both this petrel and the Trindade Petrel (Pterodroma arminjoniana) in the Atlantic Ocean: A response to M.Tove's rebuttal for example, this louse has been collected from of Imber (2004) numerous skins of undoubted Trindade petrels in the Natural History Museum, Tring, UK. M.J. IMBER The implication is that Kermadec petrels colonized Department of Conservation, PO Box 10-420, Ilha Trindade probably before Trindade petrels, Wellington, New Zealand. and their H. kermadecensis lice switched host there [email protected] to parasitise Trindade petrels, and have partially or completely displaced H. heraldicus, usually Since Imber (2004) was published I have obtained hosted by Trindade petrels and by Herald petrels signifi cant new information relating to that paper. (P. heraldica) in the Pacifi c Ocean. Firstly, there has been confi rmation of the Details of the intestines of a breeding of Kermadec petrels (Pterodroma neglecta) from Ilha Trindade were given in Imber (1985), on Round , Mauritius, Indian Ocean though the spirit specimen was identifi ed by its (R. Ashcroft pers. comm. in Brooke 2004: 329). label as a Trindade petrel and this identifi cation This was predictable but, nevertheless, reassuring was not questioned at that time. It is now known to to have the fact established. Also, in the western be a Kermadec petrel. Indian Ocean, a Kermadec petrel has recently If Tove and others have been seeing Trindade been observed ashore at a possible nest on another petrels having primaries with pale shafts and archipelago. As it was pale phase, we are reminded extensively white inner webs, they should not to be blind to other than dark phase Kermadec seriously consider whether they have been seeing petrels in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Kermadec petrels. The additional information Secondly, at South Meyer Island, Kermadec given by Tove (2005) on his 29 May 1994 sighting on 7 November 2004, I observed many off Cape Hatteras of a dark phase gadfl y petrel with Kermadec petrels fl ying in the updraughts along pale primary shaft bases is very interesting, and the eastern cliffs and confi rmed Heintzelman’s strongly indicates that it was a fi rst year Kermadec (1961) observation of white patches at the bases petrel. The two B.Patteson sightings with photos of the outer tail feathers, particularly prominent on his website listed in Imber (2004), were only in dark phase . The white patches were tentatively identifi ed as Kermadec petrels, but displayed as the petrels fanned their tails for were inserted in my paper to draw attention to aerodynamic effect. This is further proof of the those petrels that need to be critically examined by correctness of identifi cation of this Kermadec petrel pelagic observers. in Pennsylvania (Heintzelman 1961). Kermadec petrels have had colonies as far The following are some specifi c points north as 21° 15’S in the Pacifi c Ocean (at Rarotonga: regarding Tove (2005). The vocalization reported E.K. Saul pers. comm.), and breed at 19° 50’S in by Silva (1995) at Ilha Trindade, South Atlantic the Indian Ocean at Round Island. At 20° 35’S in Ocean, though a single call, was obviously heard the Atlantic Ocean, Ilha Trindade is thus within from numerous petrels (birds attending nest sites, Kermadec petrels’ latitudinal range for breeding. birds with eggs and birds with chicks), being the South Africa, extending to nearly 35°S, represents third most important call type there. This Kermadec little barrier to a petrel capable of ranging to 44°S petrel call is one of the most highly distinctive (Imber 2004). Thus the occurrence of Kermadec calls among the . Birders and petrels breeding in the Indian Ocean leads to the biologists unfamiliar with petrels on their breeding expectation of their breeding in the Atlantic Ocean grounds need to be aware that the calls of many at available islands between 20° and 34°S: that is, and Hydrobatidae are among their only Ilha Trindade and the nearby rocky islets of most characteristic identifi cation criteria. Martin Vas. Short Note 59

The distribution of non-breeding Kermadec LITERATURE CITED petrels in the North Atlantic may be further north BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened birds of the world. or offshore than the seas off Cape Hatteras, but they Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona could still pass through that area. They are also and Cambridge. Brooke, M. 2004. Albatrosses and Petrels across the World. likely to be rarer than Trindade petrels in the Atlantic Oxford University Press, Oxford. Ocean but there is no doubt that they are there. Heintzelman, D.S. 1961. Kermadec Petrel in Pennsylvania. Brazilian ornithologists seeking to locate the Wilson Bulletin 73: 262-267. breeding Kermadec petrels on Ilha Trindade may be Imber, M.J. 1985. Origins, phylogeny and of the best to concentrate their efforts around June, as this gadfl y petrels Pterodroma spp. Ibis 127: 197-229. seems when these petrels are more active at colonies Imber, M.J. 2004. Kermadec Petrels (Pterodroma neglecta) at (Imber 2004). The nest sites are likely to be at the Ilha da Trindade, South Atlantic and in the North higher altitudes on Ilha Trindade, and the petrels’ Atlantic. Notornis 51: 33-40. calls will be the best searching cue. However, Murphy, R.C. 1915. The life of Trinidad Islet. Auk 32: 332-348. G.L. da Silva, with his knowledge of these petrels Silva, G.L. da 1995. Aspectos da biologia reprodutiva de on that island, would be the best guide. A concern, Pterodroma arminjoniana (Giglioli & Salvadori, 1869) however, is that the considerable reduction in the (Aves: Procellariidae) na Ilha da Trindade, Atlantico size of the petrel colonies on Ilha Trindade last Sul. M Sc (Zoology) dissertation. Rio de Janeiro, century (Murphy 1915, Birdlife International 2000) Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. may have adversely affected Kermadec petrels Tove, M.H. 2005. Kermadec petrels (Pterodroma neglecta) in more than Trindade petrels. the Atlantic Ocean – a rebuttal. Notornis 52 (1): 56-58.