VU
White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
Brooke, M. de L. 2004. Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
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.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - A4bcde

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2018 Vulnerable A4bcde
2016 Vulnerable A4bcde
2015 Vulnerable A4bcde
2012 Vulnerable A4bcde
2010 Vulnerable A4b,c,d,e
2008 Vulnerable A4b,c,d,e
2005 Vulnerable
2004 Vulnerable
2000 Vulnerable
1994 Not Recognised
1988 Not Recognised
Species attributes

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

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 173,000,000 km2 medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident) 3,300 km2 medium
Number of locations 11-100 -
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 3000000 mature individuals medium estimated 2012
Population trend decreasing medium inferred 1980-2054
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-49% - - -
Generation length 24.7 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 2-100 - - -

Population justification: A global population of 1,200,000 breeding pairs, down from 1,430,000 pairs in the 1980s, is estimated based on figures from 1985-2011. This equates to an estimated global population of c.3 million mature individuals, based on the estimated number of breeding pairs extrapolated according to a ratio from Brooke (2004).

Trend justification: Globally, data on long-term trends are still lacking for most colonies. A decline is inferred from a drop in burrow occupancy of 28% over 20 years on Bird Island, South Georgia (Berrow et al. 2000a), and declines of 86% during 1981-1993 at sea in Prydz Bay, Antarctica (Woehler 1996). Population monitoring on Marion Island between 1996-1997 and 1999-2000 recorded an annual decrease of 14.5% in the population. Data from the Crozet archipelago indicate a decline of 37% in breeding pairs between 1983 and 2004, based on population models and field estimates from two surveys (Barbraud et al. in litt. 2008). At-sea surveys in the southern Indian Ocean suggest a 35% decline during 1981-2007 (Péron et al. 2010a), and data from fisheries and a population model suggest that the population on the Kerguelen Islands may be in decline (Barbraud et al. 2009). No population trend estimates are available from the Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes or Prince Edward Islands, representing approximately 17% of the global population.
Even when colonies on Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes, Prince Edward and Kerguelen are assumed to be stable, based on an ongoing decline of 1.6% per year on South Georgia (ACAP 2009) and declines in the smaller population on Crozet, the overall global population is projected to decline by 52% over three generations from 1980 (C. Small and W. Misiak in litt. 2013). Martin et al. (2009) estimate a greater rate of decline for South Georgia (-1.9% per annum). If the population on Kerguelen was suspected to be declining, the rate of overall population decline could be higher. An updated assessment of the population on South Georgia is needed in order to fully assess the overall trend (ACAP Secretariat in litt. 2013).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Antarctica extant native yes
Argentina extant native yes
Australia extant native yes
Bouvet Island (to Norway) extant uncertain
Brazil extant native yes
Chile extant native yes
Ecuador extant native yes
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) extant native yes
French Southern Territories extant native yes
Heard Island and McDonald Islands (to Australia) extant native yes
High Seas extant native yes
Madagascar extant native yes
Mozambique extant native yes
Namibia extant native yes
New Zealand extant native yes
Peru extant native yes
South Africa extant native yes
South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands extant native yes
St Helena (to UK) extant native yes
Uruguay extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Antarctica Indian Ocean, Antarctic and Southern 38 - Marine
Antarctica Indian Ocean, Antarctic and Southern 45 - Marine
Antarctica Indian Ocean, Antarctic and Southern 46 - Marine
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Kidney Island Group
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) New Island Group
French Southern Territories Île de l'Est
New Zealand Antipodes (offshore)
New Zealand Antipodes Islands
New Zealand Auckland Islands 1 (offshore)
New Zealand Auckland Islands 2 (near-shore)
New Zealand Disappointment Island
New Zealand Enderby Group
New Zealand Kaikoura (offshore)
Peru Reserva Nacional de Paracas
South Africa Prince Edward Islands Special Nature Reserve
South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia - mainland, islands, islets and stacks
South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia Inner Marine
South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia Outer Marine

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Grassland Subantarctic major breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic suitable breeding
Marine Oceanic Epipelagic (0-200m) major non-breeding
Marine Oceanic Epipelagic (0-200m) major breeding
Shrubland Subantarctic marginal breeding
Altitude 0 - 420 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (large scale) [harvest] Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Declines Medium Impact: 6
Stresses
Species mortality
Biological resource use Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Declines Medium Impact: 6
Stresses
Species mortality
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Felis catus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rangifer tarandus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus norvegicus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Past Impact
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%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Food - human subsistence, national

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-chinned-petrel-procellaria-aequinoctialis on 22/11/2024.
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 22/11/2024.