Saint Helena shearwater explained

The Saint Helena shearwater (Ardenna pacificoides) is an extinct species of seabird in the petrel family. It is known only from subfossil remains found on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. It probably became extinct at the end of the last glacial period, or the early Holocene, as the climate became warmer.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name of the taxon comes from pacificus plus Greek oides (like or resembling), from its relationship to the living species Puffinus pacificus (now known as Ardenna pacifica).^[2] It was later recognized as a species of Ardenna since 2018.^[3]

References

Sources

• 10.1080/00359190809519217 . Lewis . Colin A. . 2008 . The Late Glacial and Holocene avifauna of the island of St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean . Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa . 63 . 2 . 128–144 . 2008TRSSA..63..128L . 10.1.1.623.8656 . 84064599 .
• Olson . Storrs L. . 1975 . Paleornithology of St Helena Island, south Atlantic Ocean . Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology . 23 . 23. 1–49 . 10.5479/si.00810266.23.1.

Notes and References

1. Lewis, p. 140.
2. Olson, p. 19.
3. Tennyson . Alan J.D. . Mannering . Al A. . January 2018 . A new species of Pliocene shearwater (Aves: Procellariidae) from New Zealand . Tuhinga . 29 . 1–19.