Magellanic Diving-Petrel Pelecanoides magellani Scientific name definitions

This is perhaps the most strikingly plumaged of the family of diving-petrels. Although the appearance of diving-petrels is relatively uniform, the Magellanic is blacker above and whiter below so showing more contrast than the other species, in addition it has a white half collar and bolder whitish marking on the scapulars and trailing edge of the wings. It is a common species in the canals and fjords largely in Chile from the Chacao Channel in the north to the southernmost part of the continent in Tierra del Fuego, it is also found in southernmost Argentina. The breeding biology of this diving-petrel is unknown. At least one colony is known in Chile but it has not been studied. The voice of this seabird is also unknown. For a species that can sometimes be seen in the hundreds if not thousands in the Strait of Magellan and other sites in Chile, it is amazing how little is still known about this species.

19–22 cm (1 Murphy, R. C. (1936). Oceanic Birds of South America. Volume 2. American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA. Close ); male 158–163 g, female 145–174 g (2 Brooke, M. (2004). Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Upperparts  including upperwing and uppertail black, in fresh plumage is glossier with narrow pale grey feather tips on back and upper rump, and narrow whitish tips to upperwing-coverts, especially outermost, central row of scapulars variably grey and tipped white, often forming conspicuous line, but these tips can wear off; tail feathers narrowly tipped whitish in fresh plumage; secondaries also have white tips, broader on innermost, often more conspicuous than in all congenerics; underwing has grey remiges except white secondary tips, very narrow blackish line on proximal half of leading edge (marginal coverts), some axillaries dark grey, otherwise underwing-coverts white  ; undertail grey; dark of head extends to gape, below eye and over anterior or most of ear-coverts (no pale superciliary), also blackish with some whitish flecks on breast-sides, dark face sharply contrasting with white underparts and separated from dark pectoral area by distinctive partial white collar, with some grey spotting on body-sides and rear flanks; iris dark brown; bill mostly black, except small pale area at base of lower mandible; legs and feet pale blue with greyer to blackish webs, soles and line at rear of tarsus. Sexes alike. Juvenile has weaker bill and lacks white fringes on upperparts. Most distinctive  diving-petrel given conspicuous partial white collar  and sharp contrast between black and white on head, at close range adults have characteristic narrow pale scaling on upperparts  , but largely white underwing difficult to see in the field; nostrils rather short and broadly divergent posteriorly, sides of lower mandible slightly arched, thus bill tapers evenly from base to tip when viewed from below, and tip appears comparatively long.

Extreme S tip of S America, breeding off S Chile and Tierra del Fuego.

Mainly inshore and offshore waters. Breeds on slopes with some vegetation, e.g. Azorella and Empetrum (3 Reynolds, P. W. (1935). Notes on the birds of Cape Horn. Ibis 77(1):65–101. Close ), mostly occupying small inshore islands in channels and fjords.

Presumably sedentary, with some dispersal over adjacent coastal waters, with movement reported N to Chiloé I (42º S) on Chilean coast and to Puerto Deseado (48º S) on Argentine side (1 Murphy, R. C. (1936). Oceanic Birds of South America. Volume 2. American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA. Close ) (more recently only to c. 50º S) (4 Darrieu, C. A., A. R. Camperi, and S. Imberti (2008). Avifauna (non Passeriformes) of Santa Cruz province, Patagonia (Argentina): annotated list of species. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 10:111–145. Close ); recorded up to 55 km inland (5 Marín, M. (2002). The occurrence of vagrant seabirds inland in Chile. Cotinga 17:62–65. Close ) and far from land in the Drake Passage (6 Imberti, S. (2002). At-sea records of three rarely reported petrel species in the south-western Atlantic Ocean. Marine Orn.. 30(1): 32–33. Close ). Four records in the Falklands, 1930, 1984 (two) and mid-Jun 1990 (7 Gregory, P. (1994) Notes on new and scarce birds in the Falkland Islands 1988–1990. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 114: 12–20. Close ).

Very little known. Diet considered to be mainly invertbrates and small fish (1 Murphy, R. C. (1936). Oceanic Birds of South America. Volume 2. American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA. Close ). Feeds mainly by diving under water, especially from surface but also from air.

Undescribed (2 Brooke, M. (2004). Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Scarcely known (2 Brooke, M. (2004). Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Lays Nov–Dec with fledging in Mar (1 Murphy, R. C. (1936). Oceanic Birds of South America. Volume 2. American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA. Close ). Colonial and strictly nocturnal (2 Brooke, M. (2004). Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); nests in burrows, sometimes in close proximity to those of Wilson’s Storm-petrels (Oceanites oceanicus) (3 Reynolds, P. W. (1935). Notes on the birds of Cape Horn. Ibis 77(1):65–101. Close ). Single white egg, size 36·5–40·5 mm × 30·5–33·5 mm (3 Reynolds, P. W. (1935). Notes on the birds of Cape Horn. Ibis 77(1):65–101. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Population reportedly large, although no figures available; common breeder on islets off S Chile. Extensive research and census work required. Main threats likely to be same as for other species, although remoteness of much of range suggests breeding areas probably less affected by human activities.