Heinroth's Shearwater
Encyclopedia
Heinroth's Shearwater is a poorly known seabird
in the family
Procellariidae
. Probably a close relative of the Little Shearwater
or Audubon's Shearwater
(with which it is sometimes considered conspecific), it is distinguished by a long and slender bill and a brown-washed underside.
This species is restricted to the seas around the Bismarck Archipelago
and northern Solomon Islands
. The breeding sites of the species have never been found, although reports of individuals (including recently fledge
d chicks) on Bougainville
and Kolombangara
strongly suggest that they breed there, possibly high in the mountains (an inference based on the breeding behaviour of close relatives). There is very little information about the species and it is uncertain if it is threatened or in decline.
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Procellariidae
Procellariidae
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
. Probably a close relative of the Little Shearwater
Little Shearwater
The Little Shearwater is a small shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae.mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data indicates that the former North Atlantic Little Shearwater group is closer to Audubon's Shearwater , and myrtae being closer to the Newell's and possibly Townsend's Shearwater...
or Audubon's Shearwater
Audubon's Shearwater
Audubon's Shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri, is a common tropical seabird from the family Procellariidae. Sometimes called Dusky-backed Shearwater, the scientific name of this species commemorates the French naturalist Félix Louis L'Herminier....
(with which it is sometimes considered conspecific), it is distinguished by a long and slender bill and a brown-washed underside.
This species is restricted to the seas around the Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
and northern Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The breeding sites of the species have never been found, although reports of individuals (including recently fledge
Fledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
d chicks) on Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
and Kolombangara
Kolombangara
Kolombangara is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean...
strongly suggest that they breed there, possibly high in the mountains (an inference based on the breeding behaviour of close relatives). There is very little information about the species and it is uncertain if it is threatened or in decline.