Researchers investigate mysterious petrel nesting in Mykines

Kringvarp Føroya reports that the National Museum and the Environment Agency have begun studying the Sýldur drunnhvíti, a mysterious seabird that nests only in Mykines when it spends the summer in the Faroe Islands.

The bird is active on land only at night, so very few people have ever seen it. The research is part of a larger project by Norwegian researchers.

The Sýldur drunnhvíti is found in various parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Biologists estimate that only about 1,500 birds of the species are found in the Faroe Islands, according to Jón Aldará, a biologist at the National Museum.

The species is considered vulnerable and is declining, as are many seabirds. However, its status in the Faroe Islands remains uncertain.

Initial results show that the bird travels as far as South Africa during the winter. Researchers still do not know the exact population size, whether males and females migrate differently, or whether the species is found anywhere else in the Faroe Islands besides Mykines.