Murphy's Petrel

About the Murphy's Petrel

Murphy's petrel (Pterodroma ultima) is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. The bird is 38–41 cm length, with a 97 cm wingspan, and weighs about 360 g. Its plumage is all dark sooty-grey, except for a pale chin, and pinkish legs; it does not exhibit sexual dimorphism. It was described by Robert Cushman Murphy in 1949, which is the source of the species' common name.

Murphy's petrels take unusually long feeding trips during incubation. Very little is known about this species of petrel. It occurs in the South Pacific, nesting on rocky islets and cliffs off tropical oceanic islands in the Austral, Tuamotu, and Pitcairn groups. It was not until the 1980s that it was determined that these petrels might be regular visitors far offshore of the west coast of North America. It has been recorded off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands and well off the Pacific Coast of the United States and in the southern Gulf of Alaska. Most reports of Murphy's petrels are over 64 km offshore and the species reportedly has one of the greatest foraging ranges of any breeding seabird

"National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922... Wikipedia →