Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

General birdwatching discussion, help with bird identification, and all other things relating to wild birds and birding in NZ that don't fit in one of the other forums.
Pat Miller
Posts: 218
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:36 am

Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Pat Miller » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:39 am

The bill looks too long for a Pycrofts. I'd opt for Cooks Petrel. Threeps, a Blue Petrel has a very distinctive white band on the tip of the tail about a centimetre or so wide. Cooks petrel has a large gap between the nostrils and the start of the hook on the upper part of the bill and in a Pycrofts the same part is much shorter. Your bird Threeps appears to have the long gap and the bill is longer than a Pycrofts. What is visible of the underside is white and the dark plumage on the belly of a Mottled Petrel I think would show a little bit beyond the leading edge of the wing in your photo. A Mottled Petrel has a more robust chunky bill too - I think you can eliminate that even without turning it over.
Cheerio,
Pat
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Threeps
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2019 7:58 am
Location: Kaimata, Taranaki

Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Threeps » Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:05 am

Thanks, Pat.
I have very little experience with any of these petrels so I have no personal experience with which to compare them. The advice and suggestions from you and the rest of the team here on BirdingNZ is very much appreciated.

I may never achieve a consensus on what this petrel is but I now know that for all future beach wrecks I need to take a lot more photographs and also to add something in for scale!
Steve Purdon

No te whenua mo nga Kotimana ahau.

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