Bulwer's petrel

How it lives

A highly oceanic, mostly nocturnal petrel. It nests in burrows, rock crevices and cliff caves, and sometimes under man-made debris (Wikipedia). It keeps long-term pairs and returns to the same nest site each year. Each pair lays a single egg (PMC). In Hawai'i, eggs are laid from mid-May to mid-June and chicks fledge by early October. The breeding season lasts about five months.

Where it goes

It is found far out at sea year-round and usually far from land except when breeding. Atlantic birds winter in the southern equatorial regions. In the Pacific, birds from the west head southwest toward the Indian Ocean, and birds from the central Pacific head southeast (PMC).

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Worldwide: Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (the assessment year was not stated in the sources I read). The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands hold about 75,000 to 103,000 breeding pairs, and Nihoa has the largest known colony. The main Hawaiian Islands hold about 500 to 1,000 pairs. Madeira may hold almost as many as Hawai'i (PMC). Introduced cats and rats, marine pollution and light pollution are listed threats (Wikipedia).