Photo credit: Seabamirum, Flickr

Black-capped petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) | ESA status: petitioned for listing

Black-capped petrel

This beautiful sea-going bird faces threats from offshore oil drilling and shrinking breeding range.

Black-capped petrel facts

The petrel mostly feeds in small flocks of up to 12 birds, often with other species. The bird feeds on squid, fish, chum and sargassum algae. They are probably long-lived and may not reproduce before their fifth to seventh year. The petrel nests in earth burrows on steep, forested mountain cliffs and generally only lays one egg during the breeding season.

What are the threats to the black-capped petrel?

The petrel’s primary foraging grounds off the Atlantic coast are threatened by offshore oil drilling and exploration. The species is also threatened by habitat destruction in its shrinking breeding range in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

What WildEarth Guardians is doing to protect the black-capped petrel

WildEarth Guardians sought the legal protections of the Endangered Species Act for the black-capped petrel in 2011. Our petition is currently under review.

Historical Significant Actions

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service makes a positive initial finding on the petition to list the black-capped petrel June 2012

WildEarth Guardians submits a legal petition asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the black-capped petrel under the Endangered Species Act September 2011

Wildlife Press: Black-capped petrel

Press Releases

Black-capped Petrel Moves Closer to Federal Protection

Oct 5, 2018

Rare bird proposed for Endangered Species Act listing