Fea's Petrel

Fea's Petrel, Pterodroma feae, is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of Soft-plumaged Petrel, P. mollis.

It breeds in the north Atlantic in the Cape Verde Islands and Madeira (Bugio Island). This endangered species nests in colonies in burrows in spring and autumn. It lays a single white egg.

This seabird is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow.

This long-winged petrel has a grey back and wings, with a dark "W" marking across the wings. The undersides of the wings are dark and the belly is white. It has a fast impetuous flight. It picks planktonic food items from the ocean surface.

This species is very similar to Zino's Petrel, but is larger and has a thicker black bill. It is an rare visitor to the eastern USA, and an extremely rare vagrant to western Europe, principally Great Britain and Ireland.

This bird is named after the Italian zoologist Leonardo Fea.