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Murphy's Petrel

Pterodroma ultimaOrder: PROCELLARIIFORMES Family: Petrels and Shearwaters (Procellariidae)
Codes: Common Name: MUPE Scientific Name: PTEULT ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174592
Near Threatened
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Murphy's Petrel_2
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Murphy's Petrel: Large petrel, overall gray or gray-brown body and pale throat. Underwings have pale bars. Legs and feet are pale, toes have black distal webbing. Bill is black. Feeds on squid and crustaceans. Swift flight, alternates several rapid wing beats with long glides. Does not follow ships.


Range and Habitat

Murphy's Petrel: Breeds in the Pitcairn Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Austral Islands, and the Gambier Islands. Seen annually far offshore, along the Pacific coast of Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.

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Topo Map: Gull-like Body


Voice Text

Generally silent

Interesting Facts

 The Murphy’s Petrel is a rare species with very little known about it.

 The first specimen was collected from Pitcairn’s Oeno Island in 1922, but it was not until 1949 that Robert Murphy, a seabird biologist, described the species.

 Murphy applied the scientific name ultima, meaning last, which was rash in retrospect, as in 1963 its status as ultimate was lost with the description of Barau’s Petrel.

 A group of petrels are collectively known as a "gallon" and a "tank" of petrels.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

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Range Map for Murphy's Petrel

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Family Petrel (Procellariidae)_blue
Species Pterodroma ultima
Length15 - 16 Inches
Wingspan38 Inches

Murphy's Petrel

Murphy's Petrel: Large petrel, overall gray or gray-brown body and pale throat. Underwings have pale bars. Legs and feet are pale, toes have black distal webbing. Bill is black. Feeds on squid and crustaceans. Swift flight, alternates several rapid wing beats with long glides. Does not follow ships.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Murphy's Petrel: Eats squid and crustaceans; forages in flight, snatching prey at or near the water surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Murphy's Petrel: One white egg is laid in a burrow excavated by both parents. Incubation ranges from 50 to 54 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Murphy's Petrel: Herald Petrel Dark Morph lacks white at the base of the bill. Dark-rumped Petrel has white on face, throat, and breast.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight., Alternates several rapid stiff wing beats with long glides., Soaring arcs.
Murphy's Petrel Body Illustration_2
● Range & Habitat: Murphy's Petrel: Breeds in the Pitcairn Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Austral Islands, and the Gambier Islands. Seen annually far offshore, along the Pacific coast of Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationRare
MigrationMigratory
Weight12.7 Ounces
Gull-like BodyX
PelagicX
The pelagic is a type of bird whose habitat is on the open ocean rather than in a coastal region or on inland bodies of water (lakes, rivers). An example of a pelagic bird is the blacklegged kittiwake.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX