The black-capped petrel, also known as the diablotín, is a small seabird native to the West Indies in the genus Pterodroma. It is a long-winged petrel with a grey-brown back and wings, with a white nape and rump. Underparts are mainly white apart from a black cap and some dark underwing markings. It picks food items such as squid from the ocean surface.
Region
Caribbean and western North Atlantic
Typical Environment
Breeds on high mountains of Hispaniola, with birds ranging widely at sea from the Greater Antilles to the Gulf Stream off the southeastern United States. At sea it is pelagic, favoring shelf edges, current boundaries, and convergence zones where prey concentrates. Regularly recorded off the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, and the U.S. Atlantic coast from Florida to the Mid-Atlantic states. Historically bred on several Caribbean islands; modern confirmed breeding is centered on Hispaniola.
Altitude Range
1000–2400 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the diablotín, its nickname comes from the eerie, wailing calls given at night around remote mountain colonies. It nests in burrows or rock crevices in high-elevation forests and returns on the darkest nights to avoid predators. Much of its life is spent far offshore over the Gulf Stream and adjacent waters. Conservation efforts use radar, acoustic monitoring, and satellite tracking to locate and protect colonies.
Temperament
pelagic and wary
Flight Pattern
buoyant, arcing flight with dynamic soaring and rapid shears over waves
Social Behavior
Breeds in loose colonies or small clusters, nesting in burrows or rock crevices on steep, forested slopes. Nocturnal at colonies, arriving and departing under cover of darkness. Pairs are monogamous, laying a single egg with shared incubation and chick-rearing.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Generally silent at sea. Around nesting areas it gives eerie, wailing and chattering calls, often in bursts as birds circle and exchange at burrows.
