Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species was endemic to the island of St Helena, but is thought to have been hunted to extinction shortly after the island's discovery in 1502.
Population justification
No extant population remains.
Trend justification
Little is known about this species, known only from subfossil bones (Hume 2017). The decline of this species is inferred from the diminishing presence of subfossil remains in more recent records, suggesting environmental factors led to its decline (Human 2017). However, the arrival of Europeans on St Helena in 1502 and consequentially introduced species likely contributed to the eventual extinction of the species (Hume 2017).
Bulweria bifax is known only from subfossil remains from St Helena (to UK).
Nothing is known about the species' habits and ecology but it was likely similar in nature to other Bulweria species.
Very little is known about the cause of extinction for this species. The fossil record suggests the species had declined prior to the arrival of humans on St Helena, but impacts after this fact likely contributed the extinction of the species (Hume 2017). For example, introduced predators, and/or deforestation.
Text account compilers
Richardson, L.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Small Saint Helena Petrel Bulweria bifax. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/small-saint-helena-petrel-bulweria-bifax on 21/12/2024.
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 21/12/2024.