It is one of the most emblematic and vulnerable species in our country.
Have you ever been cataloged as common and finally be recognized as different and very special? That's exactly same thing happened to a seabird of the Azores, to the day when a scientist, Luis Monteiro, realized the morphological, genetic and vocals of this bird distinguished them from other species of paínhos-of-wood, hence the current name and the deserved honor. This species is one of the smallest birds of the archipelago. "They have a length ranging from 18-20 cm and weighing only between 35-60 grams. Its color is black with a white band on rump and tail is slightly forked as the Painho-of-Wood. The eggs are smaller than the other species also "as referred biologist Joel Bride, in his exposition on the specimen.”The Paínhos-of-Monteiro is able to reproduce from two years of age. Like all Procellariiformes, females lay a single egg, making it impossible the replacement in case of failure. The posture of the egg runs from late April until early July. The duration of incubation is about 45 days and the breeding needs two months. Both parents participate in both process. The young leave the nest between mid August and early October. This species is not very affected by the human pressure, since the nests are not only difficult to locate, it is also difficult to reach for birds or its eggs. As for the other sea birds, the main threats are related to the presence of introduced mammals (rats, cats, ferrets) and birds of prey (including native species such as small bufos and Asio otus) in the vicinity of its local nesting. "Analyses suggest these small birds remain all year in the Azores, with particular emphasis on isolated and uninhabited islets of the island of Graciosa and currently these populations of birds exist in small numbers, with only 250-300 pairs, hence their degree of vulnerability.
http://siaram.azores.gov.pt/fauna/aves-marinhas/painho-monteiro/
