The Bermuda petrel, aka cahow, is a gadfly petrel and is the 2nd rarest seabird on the planet, after the magenta petrel. These seabirds face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial developments; hunting; trapping; invasive species, such as cats, dogs, pigs, and rats that prey on their eggs and chicks; light pollution, which interrupts their way of life, yet is currently being addressed; and climate change, which causes exponential polar ice cap melting and subsequently higher sea levels, which can effect their breeding grounds. The IUCN lists these birds as Endangered. Their population trend is fortunately listed as increasing though.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Pterodroma cahow
Weight: Up to 17 ounces
Length: Up to 15 inches
Wingspan: Up to 36.22 inches
Lifespan: Up to 40 years
Now on to the Facts!
1.) These birds were thought to be extinct for 300 years. That is until the incredible rediscovery in 1951 of 18 nesting pairs which made them a “Lazarus species” (a species found to be alive after having been considered extinct).
2.) Their rediscovery inspired a book and 2 documentary films. A national program to preserve these birds and restore the species has helped increase their numbers, but scientists are still feverishly working to enlarge their nesting habitat on the restored Nonsuch Island, located in St. George’s Parish in northeastern Bermuda.
3.) Small fish, squids, and shrimp-like crustaceans are all on the menu.
4.) Due to special glands in their tube-like nostrils they are able to ingest seawater. These glands later filter out the salt and expel it via sneezing.
5.) Due to habitat loss and destruction and invasive mammals, their suitable nesting areas have dwindled to just 4 islets in Castle Harbor, Bermuda, in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, approximately 650 miles east of North Carolina.
But wait, there’s more on the Bermuda petrel!
6.) They only visit land to nest. Otherwise, they spend most of their adult life out on the open seas ranging from the North Atlantic coastal United States and Canada to waters off western Europe.
7.) Nesting takes place in burrows, yet only the burrows that present total darkness are chosen.
Did you know…?
There are only an estimated 196 individuals remaining, to date.
8.) Females lay a single egg, between January – June, that hatches in up to 55 days.
9.) Both parents partake in incubation, protection, and nest maintenance duties.
10.) David B. Wingate devoted his working life towards saving these birds. After university studies and other work, in 1966 Wingate became Bermuda’s first conservation officer.
But wait, there’s still more on the Bermuda petrel!
11.) Madeiros, assisted by the Australian petrel specialist Nicholas Carlile, devised and carried out a translocation project to re-establish a nesting population of Bermuda petrels on Nonsuch Island.
12.) The first petrel egg on Nonsuch Island in over 300 years was laid in January 2009, and the eventual fledgling departed in June of that same year.
Did you know…?
The predicted future increase of category 4 and 5 tropical storms poses an imminent threat to these birds’ long-term survivability.
13.) A total of 49 of the original 102 translocated birds had been confirmed as returning to the nesting islands by 2015, out of which 29 had returned to Nonsuch Island.
14.) Started in 2011, the “CahowCam” project was launched by the Bermuda-based LookBermuda / Nonsuch Expeditions Team in conjunction with the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources.
15.) Cahows, being a recovering Lazarus species, have been afforded special attention in order to support their recovery and population growth. All nesting and nearby islands are strictly protected as part of the Castle Islands Nature Reserve, and landing is prohibited without a permit.
Now a Short Bermuda Petrel Video!
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Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia & IUCN
