---
title: "Aberrantly plumaged White-chinned Petrels get spotted off Brazil"
---

# Aberrantly plumaged White-chinned Petrels get spotted off Brazil

Guilherme Frainer (Laboratório de Sistemática e Ecologia de Aves e Mamíferos Marinhos, [Departamento de Zoologia](http://www.ufrgs.br/zoologia/), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil) and colleagues have published in the journal [*Marine Biodiversity Records*](http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=MBD) on three aberrantly plumaged White-chinned Petrels *Procellaria aequinoctialis*.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

 “We report on three aberrantly plumaged White-chinned Petrels *Procellaria aequinoctialis* from the Brazilian Economic Exclusive Zone in the south-west Atlantic Ocean – the first reports based upon tangible evidence for the region.  Two of them showed a low degree of colour aberration (some white around the eyes and on the upper-wing coverts), whereas the third exhibited the highest degree of plumage aberration so far reported for the species: a plumage mostly white with brown freckles on the upper- and under-parts, head and nape.  We also commented on problems related to at-sea identification of aberrantly plumaged seabirds.”

  ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Petrels/W/White_chinned/White_chinned_Petrel_by_Ben_Phalan.jpg)

 Normally-plumaged White-chinned Petrels, photograph by Ben Phalan 

 **Reference:**

 Guilherme Frainer, G., Daudt, N.W. & Carlos, C.J. 2015.  Aberrantly plumaged White-chinned Petrels *Procellaria aequinoctialis* in the Brazilian waters, south-west Atlantic Ocean.  [*Marine Biodiversity Records* 8.  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1755267215000871](http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9841653&fileId=S1755267215000871).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 July 2015*