black-capped petrel

The black-capped petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) is a heavy-bodied seabird belonging to the order Procellariiformes. It is characterized by a dark crown and lighter nape, neck, forehead, and tail coverts. These birds are part of the gadfly petrel group, known for their fluttering flight.12

Gadfly petrels typically nest in colonies on islands in tropical and subtropical oceans, laying a single egg in burrows or crevices. Both parents care for the chick, which is deserted before it is fully fledged to complete its development on stored fat. During the nonbreeding season, they forage in the open ocean for squid and small fish. The black-capped petrel, also known as the diablotin, was once found throughout the West Indies but is now known only in Haiti and is considered endangered.23