• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
Brooke, M. de L. 2004. Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
Turbott, E.G. 1990. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	A2bce; B2ab(ii,iv,v)

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2022	Vulnerable	A2bce; B2ab(ii,iv,v)
2018	Endangered	A3bce+4bce
2016	Endangered	A3bce+4bce
2012	Endangered	A3bce+4bce
2010	Endangered	A3b,c,e; A4b,c,e
2008	Endangered	A3b,c,e; A4b,c,e
2007	Endangered
2006	Endangered
2004	Endangered
2000	Vulnerable
1994	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988	Lower Risk/Least Concern

Migratory status	full migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	28,800,000 km2	medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	460 km2	medium
Number of locations	6-10	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	20000-30000 mature individuals	medium	estimated	2020
Population trend	decreasing	poor	inferred	1989-2023
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	30-49%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	20-29%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	20-29%	-	-	-
Generation length	11.39 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	2-100	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: The most recent estimate for the species's stronghold on Kiritimati is at least 10,000 pairs (Pierce et al. 2020), equivalent to at least 20,000 mature individuals. This is in addition to surveys recording 100 individuals on Hatuta'a in 2010 (Thibault et al. 2013), 12 individuals on Fatu Huku in 2011 (J.-F. Butaud per J.-C. Thibault in litt. 2012), 10 individuals on Canton in 2011 (Pierce et al. 2020), 12-20 pairs on Oeno in 1997-1998 (Bell and Bell 1998, B. Bell pers. comm 1999) and 200 and 300 pairs on Tabu and Upua respectively in 1999 (D. Watling in litt. 1999). The population size is therefore estimated to fall in the band of 20,000-30,000 mature individuals. The subpopulation structure has not been directly analysed. However, as the species breeds on multiple islands, it is tentatively assumed to form multiple subpopulations. Therefore, the largest subpopulation may be that of Kiritimati, and so there may therefore be 20,000 mature individuals in the largest subpopulation.

Trend justification: This species has a long 3 generation length of 34.17 years (based on Bird et al. 2020). The past trend over three generations is therefore calculated using records between 1986-2021. 

The species’s strong hold, on Kiritimati in the Line Islands, was estimated to support 20,000-25,000 individuals between 1980-1982 (Perry 1980, Garnett 1984). In 2007, it was estimated to hold 2,300-3,800 pairs, or 4,600-7,600 individuals (per J.-C. Thibault in litt. 2012). The most recent estimate places the population at over 10,000 breeding pairs or 20,000 mature individuals between 2010-2015 (Pierce et al. 2020). The figures for the 1980s and 2010-2015 are very similar. It has both been suggested that the estimates from the 1980s may have been too high (M. Rauzon in litt. 1999), and that the recent estimate benefited from improved survey methods as well as an increased conservation effort.  

The motus Tabu and Upua (islets in the main lagoon) supported 50 and 40 pairs respectively in 1993 (Jones undated), and 200 and 300 pairs in 1999 (D. Watling in litt. 1999). It is unclear whether the upward trends on these motus are continuing. In the Phoenix Islands, there were >50 pairs on Canton in 1987 (Teebaki 1987). The species was then not found in surveys in the mid-1990s (Flint and Bailey 1995, Flint et al. 1996), and in 2011, less than 5 pairs were estimated to be present (Pierce et al. 2020). In the Marquesas, 5 pairs were present on Fatu Huku in 1990 (V. Bretagnolle in litt. 1999), and in 2011, 12 birds were observed in the area (J.-F. Butaud per J.-C. Thibault in litt. 2012). On Hatuta’a Island, just one individual was observed in 1987 (Thibault et al. 2013). 250 pairs were estimated in 2007, and that decreased to 100 individuals in 2010 (Thibault et al. 2013).

Overall, the population has declined in the past, and this decline is suspected to fall into the band 30-49% over the past 3 generations.

Conservation efforts have likely ceased declines on Kiritimati, and the stronghold population is likely stable (Pierce et al. 2020). However, the species continues to decline elsewhere, and the presence of invasive rats and cats continue to be an issue. Additionally, sea level rise due to climate change is predicted to cause declines by reducing the available breeding areas (Pierce et al. 2020).

Since 1995, restoration work has been undertaken on the islands to reduce the threats, including invasive species removal, and the species now has an Action Plan (Pierce et al. 2020). While it is likely that declines will continue some way into the future, it is not thought that they will reach the high rates previously feared. The stronghold is also considered to be stable (Pierce et al. 2020), so the future rate of decline is not suspected to be so high, therefore placed in the band of 20-29%.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
American Samoa	extant	uncertain
Cook Islands	extant	uncertain
Fiji	extant	vagrant			yes
French Polynesia	extant	native		yes
Kiribati	extant	native		yes
New Zealand	extinct	uncertain
Niue (to New Zealand)	extant	uncertain
Pitcairn Islands (to UK)	extant	native		yes
Samoa	extant	uncertain
Tokelau (to New Zealand)	extant	uncertain
Tonga	extinct	native	yes
Tuvalu	extant	uncertain
United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA)	extant	uncertain
USA	extant	uncertain
Wallis and Futuna Islands (to France)	extant	uncertain

Country/Territory	IBA Name
French Polynesia	Fatu Huku
French Polynesia	Hatuta'a
French Polynesia	Hatuta'a Marine
French Polynesia	Ilots rocheux de Ua Pou
French Polynesia	Marquesas Marin
Kiribati	Kiritimati (Christmas Island)
Kiribati	Kiritimati (Christmas Island) Marine
Kiribati	Phoenix Islands Marine
Kiribati	Rawaki (Phoenix Island)
Pitcairn Islands (to UK)	Oeno Island

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	major	breeding
Marine Neritic	Pelagic	major	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Pelagic	major	breeding
Marine Oceanic	Epipelagic (0-200m)	major	non-breeding
Marine Oceanic	Epipelagic (0-200m)	major	breeding
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	major	breeding
Altitude	0 - 475 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Rapid Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Anoplolepis gracilipes	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 3
		Stresses Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Canis familiaris	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Felis catus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Rapid Declines		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Oryctolagus cuniculus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Past, Unlikely to Return		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Past Impact
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus exulans	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus rattus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Rapid Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success
Residential & commercial development	Commercial & industrial areas	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion

Purpose	Scale
Food - human	subsistence, national

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Phoenix Petrel Pterodroma alba. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/phoenix-petrel-pterodroma-alba on 23/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/12/2024.