Order
Procellariiformes
Family
Oceanitidae
Genus
Oceanites
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus

Jacob Drucker
Version: 1.0 — Published March 8, 2013

Priorities for Future Research

Introduction

The most intreaguing and un-explained aspect of the life history of this species is its regular inland occurrence (see distribution). This means that 'Fuegian' storm-petrels  likely breed inland to some extent. If this is true, and nest sites are discovered, it would open up a whole new perspective on storm-petrel breeding biology, and may well contribute to solving other inland storm-petrel mysteries, such as those of Ringed, Elliot's, and Markham's Storm-Petrels.

Given this species's wide range oceanic range and huge population, it seems possible that studies on Wilson's Storm-Petrel could be a good indicator of the changing ocean temperatures, salinities, and pH levels.

Whether or not 'Fuegian' Storm-Petrel (O. o. chilensis) is it's own species or not is also in question. This could be determined thorough studies of genetics, vocalizations, and other aspects of the taxa's biology.

Recommended Citation

Drucker, J. (2013). Wilson's Storm-Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.wispet.01