The Pincoya Storm Petrel dances out into reality!

Several years ago on a birding tour, Ricardo Matus and I noticed some “Wilson’s” Storm-Petrels while crossing on the ferry to Chiloe Island. They looked odd! They were strikingly contrasting, with bright white upperwing bars, and seemingly extensive pale on the underwing – wear perhaps? As we watched, Ricardo mentions that they also had white bellies…really? Not possible, we must have just gotten a bad look, as is often the case when you see a bird from a boat. 

But then things got interesting! Very soon after an Irish and American group of birders see up close, and photograph these storm-petrels, and they are indeed different – it wasn’t a bad look after all. To read their early account of this discovery, noting also that Peter Harrison had seen these odd stormies in the 80s, click on the link from Scilly Pelagics, informally they become the “Puerto Montt Storm-Petrels” named for the largest city and port near the area in which they were seen. 

Continued: http://alvarosadventures.com/2013/02/the-pincoya-storm-petrel-dances-out-into-reality/