Peruvian diving-petrel

Description

The potoyuncos are related to the albatross.Its appearance is very similar to that of the petrels.Unlike these others,the nostrils open upward instead of forward.These birds tend to dive into the water.Which they do to dive or just to rest on the surface.The potoyuncos spend the day in search of crustaceans and fish,from which they feed,returning to the nest only during the night.They usually make the nest in holes in the ground or in crevices between the rocks.The clutch consists of a single egg.The Peruvian potoyunco measures 15 cm and weighs 200 g.His head and back are black and his chest is white.He lives on the islands and is an excellent diver.It feeds mainly on anchovy and zooplankton.It reproduces throughout the year;the female lays a single egg that is incubated in 9 to 10 weeks in galleries excavated in the soil or in the guano.In Peru,the only breeding colonies of potoyuncos are found in the Corcovado,San Gallán and La Vieja islands,the latter two located in the Paracas National Reserve.In 1996,scientists estimated that there were only 13,000 couples on these two islands.