Endangered
Black-capped Petrel
Pterodroma hasitata
The black-capped petrel, also known as the diablotín, is a small seabird native to the West Indies in the genus Pterodroma.
Appearance
The most similar species within its range is the Bermuda petrel, that is smaller and has a narrower white rump patch and an extensive gray cowl. It is a long-winged petrel with a grey-brown back and wings, with a white nape and rump. Underparts are mainly white apart from a black cap (that in some individuals extends to cover the eye) and some dark underwing markings.
The black-capped petrel is large compared to other gadfly petrels, with a length of about 16 inches (40.5 cm) and 37 inches (94 cm) wingspan.
Published measurements include mass about 455.
Range and habitat
Although this seabird once bred on steep mountainsides of the Greater Antilles, only three confirmed breeding areas remain in the high mountains of Hispaniola (in Sierra de Bahoruco and Valle Nuevo National Park in the Dominican Republic, and Massif de la Selle and Massif de la Hotte in Haiti). In 2015, birds were also confirmed nesting on a second island (Dominica), that had long been suspected given historical nesting there. A mountain peak where it formerly bred in Haiti (and another in Dominica) is still named "Mont Diablotin" in reference to the "little devil" moniker.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
In crisis
The species, once abundant in the Caribbean, has declined significantly and is now one of the most endangered seabirds in the North Atlantic along with the Bermuda petrel. In the early 20th century, there was speculation that the black-capped petrel was extinct or nearing extinction, but more current population estimates range from 2,000 to 4,000 individuals. Most of the threats facing the black-capped petrel are on its nesting grounds, where causes for its demise include habitat loss, introduced predators, and direct harvesting by humans.
In 2018, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the black-capped petrel as threatened. On 1 May 2023, a new 30-day comment period was opened due to concerns that threats to the species are greater than previously assessed.
Black-capped Petrel is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Black-capped Petrel, Wikidata item Q1264430. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
