
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Cuthbert, Richard 
T1  - Breeding biology of the Atlantic Petrel, <emph type="2">Pterodroma incerta</emph>, and a population estimate of this and other burrowing petrels on Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean
JF  - Emu
JO  - EMU
Y1  - 2004
VL  - 104
IS  - 3
SP  - 221
EP  - 228
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/MU03037 
N2  - The Atlantic Petrel, Pterodroma incerta, endemic to the Tristan da Cunha group in the South Atlantic and globally threatened, is one of the least known of the world&#39;s seabirds. At Gough Island, Atlantic Petrels are winter breeders, with single eggs laid in June&#8211;July and chicks fledging in December. Birds were exclusively nocturnal on land. The pre-egg exodus of ~50 days and nestling period of almost 140 days are near the longest recorded for Pterodroma species, and support the general pattern of prolonged development found in winter-breeding Procellariiformes. Chicks grew at a very slow rate, suggesting poor at-sea feeding conditions. Breeding success averaged only 20% and introduced House Mice, Mus musculus, were probably responsible for considerable losses of chicks in two breeding seasons. Preliminary population modelling predicts a decline in numbers. The potential impact of introduced mice suggests that the species&#39; conservation status be upgraded from Vulnerable to Endangered and that further research on this issue is a high priority. The first quantitative estimate of breeding numbers indicates a population of ~1.8 million pairs of Atlantic Petrels. Provisional population estimates of Great Shearwaters, Puffinus gravis (980 000 pairs), Soft-plumaged Petrels, Pterodroma mollis (400 000 pairs), and Broad-billed Prions, Pachyptila vittata (1 750 000 pairs) confirm the international significance of Gough Island as a site for breeding seabirds. 
ER  -

