A MOTTLED PETREL IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA—MEXICO’S FIRST RECORD

Abstract

A Mottled Petrel (Pterodroma inexpectata) seen and photographed at a distance off San Felipe in the Gulf of California on 15 May 2024 represents a first of its species to be noted in Mexico. On its passage north the Mottled Petrel, a transequatorial migrant, crosses the central Pacific mainly in March and April, suggesting that the bird seen off San Felipe in May could have been trapped and delayed in the Gulf of California while heading north, albeit far to the east of its normal route.