Bonin Petrel

The Bonin petrel or nunulu (Pterodroma hypoleuca) is a seabird in the family Procellariidae. It is a small gadfly petrel that is found in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Its secretive habits, remote breeding colonies and limited range have resulted in few studies and many aspects of the species' biology are poorly known. == Taxonomy == The Bonin petrel was formally described in 1888 by the English naturalist Osbert Salvin and given the binomial name Oestrelata hypoleuca. He specified the type location as the "Krusenstern Islands" instead of one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Bonin petrel is now placed with the other gadfly petrels in the genus Pterodroma that was introduced by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1856. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek pteron meaning "wing" with dromos meaning "racer" or "runner". The specific epithet hypoleuca is from the Ancient Greek hupi meaning "beneath" with leukos meaning "white". Despite the species having two remote and separate breeding localities the species is monotypic and no subspecies are recognised. The Bonin petrel is currently thought to be closely related to the mottled petrel and white-necked petrel in the subgenus Proaestrelata, based on a review of the whole genus Pterodroma…