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Bird name:

Murphy's Petrel

Pterodroma ultimaOrder: PROCELLARIIFORMES Family: Petrels and Shearwaters (Procellariidae)

Codes: Common Name: MUPE Scientific Name: PTEULT ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174592

Breeding Location:

Islands, sandy or rocky

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Rare

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

50 - 54

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

No material added to nest.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Murphy's Petrel: Large petrel with an overall gray or gray-brown body and pale throat. Underwings have pale bars. Legs and feet are pale. Sexes are similar.

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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and Feeding

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

Vocalization

Murphy's Petrel: Emits acute cries on breeding grounds; silent at sea.

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.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

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.

● 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

Pelagic

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 codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Murphy's Petrel

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Murphy's Petrel

Flight Pattern