Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:13:p52
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 13 (pt 52/98)
Character Range: 368212–372223

habitat damage from severe storms, heat stress and degradation of nesting habitat                                                                      Climate variability and change: habitat damage from severe storms affecting Bishop and Clerk Islets

                                        Disease: avian cholera

Note: Threats occurring in Australia's jurisdiction are highlighted in bold.
Figure 4: Modelled Australian distribution of Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris).

Petrel species breeding in Australia's jurisdiction

Macronectes giganteus Southern Giant Petrel (Gmelin 1789)
Family: Diomedeidae

Taxonomy

Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin 1789) is accepted nomenclature for the Southern Giant Petrel. Originally Procellaria gigantea Gmelin 1789. The Southern Giant Petrel was considered polytypic with Macronectes halli (Northern Giant Petrel) until Bourne & Warham (1966) proposed recognition at the specific level, based on morphology and demographic differences, a view also supported by genetic differences (Nunn & Stanley (1998), despite some hybridisation (Hunter 1983). ACAP has concluded on advice from its Taxonomy Working Group that available data warrant recognition of the Southern Giant Petrel at the specific level with the nomenclature widely accepted (Brooke et al. 2007, ACAP 2012s).

Current status of taxon

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth): Endangered
Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (Western Australia): not listed
National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (South Australia): Vulnerable
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (Victoria): Endangered
Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (Tasmania): Vulnerable
Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (New South Wales): Endangered
Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland): Endangered
IUCN Red list of Threatened Species: Least Concern
Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020: breeding population Least Concern, population visiting Australia Least Concern

Species description

A large petrel, the Southern Giant Petrel is approximately 87 cm in length, 3.5-5.5 kg in weight, with a wing length of 46-56 cm, and bill length of 84-111 mm (ACAP 2015, Menkhorst et al. 2017). Tubenosed; separate nostrils on a bulbous, pink plated bill with pale green tip. Combination of grey-brown and white plumage, pale head with dark eye, dark body with grey-brown upper wings, and paler underwings, with occasional all white forms with few grey-brown feathers (Onley & Scofield 2007, BirdLife International 2018g).

Life history

Breeding locality                                                                                                     Jurisdiction

Adélie Land, Antarctic Peninsula, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands                                        Antarctica

Isla Arce, Isla de los Estados, Isla Gran Robredo, Isla Observatorio                                                  Argentina

Australian Antarctic Territory, Heard Island, McDonald Islands, Macquarie Island                                      Australia

Isla Noir, Islas Diego Ramirez                                                                                        Chile

Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands                                                                                     France

Prince Edward Islands                                                                                                 South Africa

Gough Island                                                                                                          United Kingdom

Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas, South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur, South Sandwich Islands/Islas Sandwich del Sur  Other

There are 193 breeding sites for the Southern Giant Petrel that occur in Antarctica (Adélie Land, Antarctic Peninsula, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands), and on island groups of Argentina (Isla Arce, Isla de los Estados, Isla Gran Robredo, Isla Observatorio), Australia (AAT, Heard Island,