Mottled Petrel
Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata, southern Bering Sea, 9 October 2009.
This Mottled Petrel was one of five seen today from the NOAA Ship Miller Freeman about 100 miles north of Dutch Harbor. This distinctive seabird is told from other similar pterodroma petrels by its unique gray belly. It breeds on small islands off New Zealand and spends the non-breeding season–April to October–in the North Pacific and the deep waters of the southern Bering Sea. It is the only regularly occurring pterodroma in Alaska. There are two records of Cook’s Petrel Pterodroma cookii from Alaskan waters and it is considered accidental on the Alaska Checklist.
Peter Harrison’s Seabirds of the world: A photographic guide describes the flight of the Mottled Petrel as “wild and impetuous.” Perfect.
