Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Mt Pitt bird or Providence petrel (Pterodroma solandri), 1790s

Mt Pitt bird or Providence petrel (Pterodroma solandri), 1790s

Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW; Purchased from Christie’s, Melbourne, 1994; PXD 680, f. 3

Watercolour

The Providence petrel is pigeon-like in appearance.
The current population of Providence petrels is around 64,000.
The Providence petrel’s specific name Pterodroma solandri was named after Swedish botanist, Daniel Solander.
The Providence petrel (Pterodroma solandri) is a vulnerable bird species that now only exists on Lord Howe Island, off Australia.
Mount Pitt birds were named “Providence petrel” by early settlers on Norfolk Island who ate them in abundance.