Rapa Shearwater

Rapa ShearwaterThe Rapa Shearwater breeds around Rapa in the South Pacific. A comparison of five specimens described white areas under the tail and in the inner primary feathers among the features distinguishing it from related taxa.What does it look like?Specimens show white on the undertail, inner webs of the primaries, and above the eye, with pale tips or fringes on grey upperparts. The juvenile specimen has more pale edging; adults are darker and more uniform above.How does it live?The Rapa Shearwater breeds around Rapa in the South Pacific. A comparison of five specimens described white areas under the tail and in the inner primary feathers among the features distinguishing it from related taxa.Breeding birds use burrows on small islets off Rapa. A tracking study estimated that the one bird with a usable geolocator travelled roughly 1,000–2,000 km southeast of Rapa during the non-breeding period.Keeping it safeAn extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.