User:Kylekutztown/Atlantic petrel

Identification
Adults are about 43cm long, powerful, large, stocky, dark in color with white belly. Their head can appear to be grey in worn plumage. Brown undercoating of wings and tail.

House mouse is the main predator on Gough Island for the Atlantic Petrel. The Atlantic Petrel nests are located in flat grasslands and on steep cliffs. The house mouse will attack the eggs generally within a 2-hour period of being hatched and the juvenile birds. Another threat to the Atlantic petrel is Hurricanes also known as a cyclone system, it has a severe impact on populations by displacing them from their habitat and breeding grounds. Many birds died of starvation due to their food source being altered from the intense hurricanes. This is another leading threat to their decline in population. The Atlantic Petrel only have a 20% success reproduction rate due to the influence of predators and sever weather. There are also feather mites that are affecting the bird's population on the Brazilian coast, the Microspalax atlanticus affect the feathers with mites. This species is affecting a wild variety of birds in Brazil, but it has a large impact on the Atlantic petrel have a declining reproduction rate.

This species of petrel are nocturnal animals, they tend to feed at night and breed at night as well.

The Atlantic Petrel tend to make nests on the shores of Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Namibia. The nesting locations are between 50 and 300 meters above sea level, located on cliffsides. These petrels can live on average of 15 years.

Population trends
Some studies states there are roughly 1.1 million mating pairs, with a sucess reproduction rate at about 20%. This is making their large population numbers decrease rapidly. Gough Island has been the location of study, since a couple of other islands are inaccessible due to the steep cliffs. Due to reproduction mortality, this species can become locally extinct making their home range smaller.

Conservation Efforts
Starting around the 1970's, on Tristan da Cunha they have put in programs to teach and learn about this species of bird and why it is important for the ecosystem around it. Also, they try and educate about the dangers that they are facing as a species and find out more ways to implement protection for them in the future. Considering their populations numbers are high, there mortality rate at birth is significant to have a declining population. Research on the House mouse is important to finding ways in reducing these predators' effect on the Atlantic Petrels.