Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the literature concerning the taxonomy, identification and distribution of the `soft-plumaged petrel' Pterodroma feae/madeira/mollis complex in the Western Palearctic.There are no known consistent plumage differences between feae and madeira and, at present, only bill structure can be regarded as diagnostic. A number of consistent differences exist between mollis and feae/madeira which make field identification of mollis possible.To date, all well-documented records of `soft-plumaged petrels' away from breeding grounds in the North Atlantic are compatible with feae; there are no safe records of mollis in the northern hemisphere, or of madeira away from its breeding grounds.wo species of petrel of the genus Pterodroma breed in the Western Palearctic: Fea's Petrel P. feae, with the nominate form on Cape Verde and the subspecies P. f. deserta occurring on Bugio, in the Madeiran archipelago; and Zino's Petrel P. madeira, in the mountains of Madeira (table 1). In addition, Soft-plumaged Petrel P. mollis may occur as a vagrant from the South Atlantic or Indian Ocean. These three closely similar species, hereafter referred to simply as feae, madeira and mollis, have often been described collectively as `soft-plumaged petrels'. Rare and genuinely enigmatic, the Pterodroma petrels of the eastern North Atlantic have both excited birdwatchers and generated a substantial body of literature, especially in the past 20 years. Nonetheless, some aspects of their taxonomy, identification and distribution remain controversial. This paper provides a critical review of the literature to date, in particular that relating to field identification.Archaeological remains found in two cave