Barau's petrel (Pterodroma baraui) belongs to the family Procellariidae. Barau's petrel is distributed in the countries like Indian islands, Western Australia and Indonesia, adjoining tropical and subtropical Indian Ocean. Barau's petrel is found to nest only in the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. These birds are endangered by hunting, introduced species and light pollution. Young birds get disorientated by artificial lights.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had categorized and evaluated these species and had listed them as 'Endangered'.
These petrels are medium sized birds, measuring 40 cm in length and weighing 430 grams. Their wingspan is 100 cm. They are pelagic birds, sometimes observed from shore. The underparts are white and the white underside of the wing has "M" like border with black feathers. The forehead and back also have black feathers. These birds feed on small fish, squid and shrimp by surface-seizing and plunge diving. These petrels breed during October/November in the island of Réunion and nest in burrows on high elevations.
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| Indian bird - Barau's petrel - Pterodroma baraui |
| Biological classification of Pterodroma baraui | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Procellariidae |
| Subfamily: | - |
| Genus: | Pterodroma |
| Species: | P. baraui |
| Binomial name: | Pterodroma baraui |
| Distribution: | Indian Ocean |
| Feeding habits: | fish, squids and shrimp; |
| IUCN status listing: |  Endangered |
Image source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pterodroma_baraui_(fledgling_before_releasing).JPG
Author: B.navez | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Current topic in Birds of India: Barau's petrel - Pterodroma baraui.