ONLY AVAILABLE March 2022

Pull a pound + donate $1

ABOUT BLACK-CAPPED PETRELS

The hidden treasure of Hispaniola

The black-capped petrel is among the rarest and most secretive seabirds in the Western hemisphere. The sound of their eerie cries echoing in the remote mountains of Haiti and the Dominican Republic earned them the local nickname diablotín, or “little devil.”

Black-capped petrel in flight.
Photo by Daniel J. Lebbin.

Spending their lives in flight over the open ocean, these birds only return to land to nest under the cover of darkness. On foraging trips that may last up to a week and cover hundreds of miles per day, black-capped petrels gather fish, invertebrates, and squid to feed to their young.

Today, the black-capped petrel is endangered with fewer than 1,000 pairs thought to exist and only a handful of nests known. While more research is needed to fully understand the threats facing black-capped petrels, several urgent threats are clear.

Esteban Garrido holding a petrel chick banded as part of a research project.
Photo courtesy Grupo Jaragua, 2012.

PARTNER OF THE MONTH

American Bird Conservancy

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has been standing up for birds and their habitats for more than 25 years. Their strategic approach to conservation provides measurable results and has helped prevent the extinction of some of the world’s most endangered birds, conserve critical bird habitat, reduce top threats to birds, and build an Americas-wide community of bird conservationists.

As a group, seabirds are among the world’s most endangered birds. ABC’s Marine Program protects and restores seabird populations across the Americas by addressing their most significant threats — from fisheries bycatch and invasive species to ocean plastics and climate change — through innovation, partnerships, conservation planning, and direct action.

Brad Keitt, Director of ABC’s Oceans and Islands program, May 2019.
Photo by Daniel J. Lebbin.

DONATION IMPACT

How our donation helps black-capped petrels

There are only a handful of known breeding colonies for black-capped petrels, all of which are in remote areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. That’s why protecting this species begins with locating and monitoring nests so threats can be identified, understood, and addressed.

Once nesting sites are identified, ABC works with partners from Grupo Jaraqua in the Dominican Republic and Environmental Protection in the Caribbean for work in Haiti to collect vital information on nesting petrels so key threats can be addressed at each site.

The black-capped petrel mascot (petrel biologist Rene Jeune) leading parade in Boukan Chat, Haiti.
Photo by Adam Brown, EPIC, 2018.