Peruvian Diving-Petrel Pelecanoides garnotii Scientific name definitions

Peruvian Diving-Petrel is endemic to the Peruvian and Chilean coasts of western South America; throughout most of its range it is the only diving-petrel, but in Chile it narrowly overlaps with Magellanic Diving-Petrel (Pelecanoides magellani). Unlike most shearwaters and petrels, which are very aerial and spend much of their time in flight, diving-petrels seem to fly relatively rarely, and then only very low over the water. Diving-petrels instead spend most of their time swimming on the surface, diving below the water—to as deep as 80 m in some cases—to capture prey, such as small fish and crustaceans. Peruvian Diving-Petrel breeds colonially on offshore islands with, currently, more than 80% of its population breeding on Isla San Gallán, off the south Peruvian coast. Its breeding colonies are relatively close to shore, and it rarely wanders far offshore. Formerly very abundant, its numbers have declined drastically, and it now is considered to be Endangered.