Parkinson's Petrel
Procellaria parkinsoni
Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderProcellariiformes (Tubenoses)
- FamilyProcellariidae (Shearwaters and Petrels)
- GenusProcellaria (Procellaria Petrels)
- SpeciesProcellaria parkinsoni (Parkinson's Petrel)
About the Parkinson's Petrel
The black petrel (Procellaria parkinsoni), (Māori: tāiko, or tākoketai) also called Parkinson's petrel, is a medium-sized, black-plumaged petrel, the smallest of the Procellaria. The species is an endemic breeder of New Zealand, breeding only on Great Barrier Island and Little Barrier Island, off the North Island. At sea it disperses as far as Australia and Ecuador.
The black petrel was formally described in 1862 by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in a list of birds from New Zealand. He coined the binomial name Procellaria parkinsoni. The genus name is from the Latin procella meaning "storm" or "gale". The specific epithet parkinsoni was chosen to honour the artist and collector Sydney Parkinson. The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The plumage of the black petrel is all black, as are its legs and bill except for pale sections on the bill. It is a medium-sized petrel: males average about 720 g (25 oz), females around 680 g (24 oz). It has an overall length of 46 cm (18 in) and a wingspan averaging 115 cm (45 in).
It is endemic to New Zealand. It was previously found throughout the North... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Parkinson's Petrel in Galápagos Islands
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Shearwater
Puffinus subalaris
Galápagos Petrel
Pterodroma phaeopygia
Sooty Shearwater
Puffinus griseus
Pink-footed Shearwater
Puffinus creatopus
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Puffinus pacificus
Cape Petrel
Daption capense
Christmas Shearwater
Puffinus nativitatis
Elliot's Storm Petrel
Oceanites gracilis
Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma tethys
Waved Albatross
Phoebastria irrorata
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma castro
Wilson's Storm Petrel
Oceanites oceanicus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Tongariro National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Parkinson's Petrel in Galápagos Islands?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Parkinson's Petrel sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Parkinson's Petrel in Galápagos Islands?
June has the highest sighting rate for Parkinson's Petrel in Galápagos Islands in our monthly data.