Bryan's shearwater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bryan's shearwater |
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| Conservation status | |
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Puffinus
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| Species: |
bryani
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The Bryan's shearwater (Puffinus bryani) is a very small seabird. It is a type of shearwater, which are birds known for flying low over the ocean, often looking like they are "shearing" the water. This tiny bird might live around the Hawaiian Islands. It is the smallest known species of shearwater.
Bryan's shearwater has black and white feathers. It has a bluish-gray beak and blue tarsi, which are the lower parts of its legs and feet.
Discovering Bryan's Shearwater
This bird was first found in 1963. At that time, scientists thought it was a type of little shearwater (Puffinus assimilis). However, in 2011, scientists used DNA analysis to study the bird's genes. This testing showed that Bryan's shearwater was actually a completely different species!
The bird is named after Edwin Horace Bryan Jr. He was a former curator at the B. P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. A curator is someone who takes care of a museum's collections.
Where Do They Live?
Bryan's shearwater is very rare, and scientists don't know much about where it lives or where it goes to have its babies. It is thought to be an endangered species, meaning it is at risk of disappearing forever.
In 2012, DNA tests were done on six birds found in the Bonin Islands (also called Ogasawara) in Japan. These birds were found between 1997 and 2011, some alive and some dead. The tests confirmed that they were Bryan's shearwaters! This made scientists believe that Bryan's shearwaters still live on some of the uninhabited islands in the Bonin group.
Then, in 2015, something exciting happened. A small group of Bryan's shearwaters was found nesting on Higashijima island in Japan. This was the first time a breeding colony of these rare birds had been discovered. This discovery gives hope that the species can be protected.
See also
- In Spanish: Pardela de Bryan para niños
