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Daption capense (Pintado petrel) 

Seeduifstormvoël [Afrikaans]; Kaapse stormvogel [Dutch]; Damier du Cap [French]; Kapsturmvogel [German]; Pintado [Portuguese]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Ciconiiformes > Family: Procellariidae

Daption capense (Pintado petrel)  Daption capense (Pintado petrel) 
Pintado petrel. [photo Jeff Poklen ©] Pintado petrel, offshore from Cape Town, South Africa. [photo Trevor Hardaker ©]
Daption capense (Pintado petrel)
Pintado petrels, offshore from Cape Town, South Africa. [photo Trevor Hardaker ©]

Distribution and habitat

Breeds on ice-free areas along the Antarctic coast and on sub-Antarctic islands, usually below 45° South. In the non-breeding season it heads north up to about 25° South, including the majority of southern African waters. Here it is common, especially off the southern and western coasts, while more scarce in the area east of Mozambique and in the north-western corner of the region.

Movements and migrations

Non-breeding visitor to southern African waters, mainly present in the period from May-November, although occasionally staying throughout summer.

Food 

It mainly eats trawler offal and crustaceans, doing most of its foraging behind ships, seizing prey from the water surface or filtering crustaceans by pumping water with its tongue through its serrated bill.

Threats

Not threatened.

References

  • Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.