Petrel birds of New Caledonia - Birdlife International 2008

On the year 2008, New Caledonia Post issued the birdlife stamp series of Petrel bird  featured Nesofregetta fuliginosa (Polynesian Storm Petrel), Pterodroma leucoptera (Gould’s Petrel) ,Pseudobulweria rostrata ( Tahiti Petrel). The issuance only consist of 3 pieces of stamps.

Nesofregatta fuliginasa, 110 F

The Polynesian Storm-petrel (Nesofregetta fuliginosa) is a species of seabird in the Hydrobatidae family and  placed in the monotypic genus Nesofregetta.Their specific distinctive are 25 cm in length and polymorphic with broad rounded wings, lacking obvious bends along leading and trailing edges. Most common morph has brownish-black head, nape, mantle, upperwing and tail but white rump-band and greater-covert wing-bar. Moderately forked tail. White throat, brownish chest band, rest of underparts white. Extensive white on underwing-coverts, otherwise dark underwing. Intermediate morphs show dark flecking on white underparts. Dark morph is entirely sooty-brown.

Nesofregetta fuliginosa is found in Chile, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, possibly American Samoa, possibly Fiji, and possibly Samoa.Its natural habitats are open seas, rocky shores, and sandy shores. This species has been uplisted to Endangered due to  threatened by introduced predators.Predation of eggs and small chicks by house mouse Mus musculus

Pterodroma leucoptera, 110 F

Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera) is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family. Pterodroma leucoptera is a small petrel, black-capped gadfly petrel, 30 cm long with a wingspan of about 70 cm. It has characterized by  grey colour on the  upper parts with strong, dark "M" across wings and dark tail tip.White forehead merging into dark brownish-grey cap and sides of cheeks. White colour on the  under parts. White colour on the under wing with dark tip and trailing edge. Dark leading edge extends to well-defined black mark leading towards body from carpal joint. Some birds show pale patch on inner primaries of upper wing.

Pterodroma leucoptera mainly breeds in Australia and New Caledonia . There is also a small colony on Raivavae, Austral Islands, French Polynesia.

The subspecies are Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera breeds on Cabbage Tree Island in New South Wales, Australia; Pterodroma leucoptera caledonicus breeds in New Caledonia and possibly in Vanuatu and on Raivavae in French Polynesia and  The Collared Petrel (Pterodrama  brevipes) is sometimes regarded as a third subspecies but is often split as a separate species.

In New Caledonia it nests in burrows on steep mountainsides. On Cabbage Tree Island it nests among rocks or among the roots and fallen fronds of cabbage tree palms. Outside the breeding season, it disperses into the open seas of the subtropical and tropical Pacific, occurring as far east as the Galapagos Islands.

It is threatened by introduced predators such as rats, cats and pigs. On Cabbage Tree island, grazing by rabbits altered the vegetation, making the birds more vulnerable to predation. They were brought back from the edge of extinction .

Pseudobulweria rostrata , 110F

Pseudobulweria rostrata or known as The Tahiti Petrel, Pétrel De Tahiti is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family and  found in American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Mexico, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and possibly the Cook Islands. The natural habitats of Pétrel De Tahiti are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests,  subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, open seas, and rocky shores.

Pétrel De Tahiti has been characterized are  medium-sized gadfly petrel with size of 39 cm. Dark brown on the upper-parts with paler upper tail coverts. Dark brown on the  under-wing, throat, Dark brown on the upper chest sharply demarcated from white on the under-parts.Distinctive straight-winged jizz, held perpendicular to body with tips curling upwards.Flight more languid than many Pterodroma species, giving albatross-like appearance.

In New Caledonia, most of the recently discovered colonies are small (<10 pairs) and spread over large areas of several thousand square metres Eggs are laid in burrows on rocky slopes or in open upland forest. Breeding appears to occur throughout the year, although on Tahiti at least there appears to be a peak between March and July. The species is thought to be declining, mainly due to nest predation by introduced predators.