Bad at Goodbyes

Balearic Shearwater :: Puffinus mauretanicus
Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 085

On today’s show we learn about the Balearic Shearwater, a critically endangered migratory seabird who breeds on the Balearic Islands, a Spanish archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, and who in the non-breeding season migrates to coastlines across Western Europe and North Africa. Its scientific name is Puffinus mauretanicus and it was first described in 1921.

For more information about conservation and protection of the Balearic Shearwater please see SEO Birdlife at https://seo.org/.
(00:05) Intro
(02:05) Species Information
(26:58) Citations
(29:08) Music
(36:31) Pledge

Research for today’s show was compiled from:
Arcos, J.M. (compiler) 2011. International species action plan for the Balearic shearwater, Puffinus mauretanicus. SEO/BirdLife & BirdLife International. - https://acap.aq/advisory-committee/ac6/ac6-information-papers/155-ac6-inf-04-balearic-shearwater-action-plan/file
Arcos, J. M., & Oro, D. (2002). Significance of fisheries discards for a threatened Mediterranean seabird, the Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 239, 209–220. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps239209
BirdLife International. 2018. Puffinus mauretanicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22728432A132658315. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22728432A132658315.en
de la Cruz, A., Pereira, J. M., Arroyo, G. M., Ramos, J. A., Alonso, H., Arcos, J. M., Rodríguez, B., Bécares, J., Ramos, F., Tornero, J., Saavedra, C., Vázquez, J. A., García-Barón, I., Astarloa, A., Louzao, M., Laran, S., Dorémus, G., Waggitt, J., & Paiva, V. H. (2025). Global distribution, threats and population trends of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus. Biological Conservation, 305, Article 111047. – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111047
eloisa matheu. Sound Recording. 2020. Xeno-Canto. XC580250. – www.xeno-canto.org/580250
Guilford, T., Wynn, R., McMinn, M., Rodríguez, A., Fayet, A., Maurice, L., Jones, A., & Meier, R. (2012). Geolocators reveal migration and pre-breeding behaviour of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus. PLoS ONE, 7(3), e33753. – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033753
iNaturalist – Balearic Islands threatened species
Kirwan, G. M., J. del Hoyo, N. Collar, and T. S. David (2021). Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (B. K. Keeney, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. – https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.balshe1.01.1
Lewin, P. J., Wynn, J., Arcos, J. M., Austin, R. E., Blagrove, J., Bond, S., Carrasco, G., Delord, K., Fisher-Reeves, L., García, D., Gillies, N., Guilford, T., Hawkins, I., Jaggers, P., Kirk, C., Louzao, M., Maurice, L., McMinn, M., Micol, T., Padget, O. (2024). Climate change drives migratory range shift via individual plasticity in shearwaters. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(6), Article e2312438121. – https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2312438121
Meier, R. E., Votier, S. C., Wynn, R. B., Guilford, T., McMinn Grivé, M., Rodríguez, A., Newton, J., Maurice, L., Chouvelon, T., Dessier, A., & Trueman, C. N. (2017). Tracking, feather moult and stable isotopes reveal foraging behaviour of a critically endangered seabird during the non-breeding season. Diversity and Distributions, 23(2), 130–145. – https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12509
Oro, D., Aguilar, J. S., Igual, J. M., & Louzao, M. (2004). Modelling demography and extinction risk in the endangered Balearic shearwater. Biological Conservation, 116(1), 93–102. – https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(03)00180-0
OSPAR Commission. (2022). Status assessment 2022 - Balearic shearwater. OSPAR Assessments. – https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/committee-assessments/biodiversity-committee/status-assesments/balearic-shearwater/
Ramírez-Bal, M., García-Barón, I., García, D., Arcos, J. M., Carrasco, G., Lewin, P., Delord, K., & Louzao, M. (2026). Individual migratory patterns of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater: A multi-colony and multi-year study in the NE Atlantic. Global Ecology and Conservation, 65, Article e03989. – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03989
Rodríguez, A., D. García, B. Rodríguez, E. Cardona, L. Parpal, and P. Pons. 2015. "Artificial lights and seabirds: is light pollution a threat for the threatened Balearic petrels?" Journal of Ornithology 156 (4): 893-902. – https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1232-3
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balearic_shearwater
Yésou, P. (2006). The Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus: A review of facts and questions. Atlantic Seabirds, 8(1/2), 73–79. – https://natuurtijdschriften.nl/pub/546216

Please find us on the web at Bad at Goodbyes and on instagram. Please subscribe and rate/review Bad at Goodbyes wherever you listen to podcasts. Please help spread the word about the show and about the species we feature. Please take care of each other, and all of our fellow travelers.

A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.

Bad at Goodbyes is on Summer Break. We're taking a month off for a bit of rest, reflection, and research and preparation for our forthcoming autumn season.
New episodes will return on September 2nd.
Until then, let's take care of each other and all of our kin.

Barker's Koromiko :: Veronica barkeri
Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 084
On today’s show we learn about the Barker's Koromiko, a critically endangered flowering shrub native to Aotearoa Rēkohu / New Zealand's Chatham Islands, an archipelago roughly 400 miles east of Te Waipounamu / New Zealand's South Island. Its scientific name is Veronica barkeri and it was first described in 1899.

For more information about conservation on Rēkohu / Chatham Islands see the Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust at https://www.chathamrestorationtrust.org.nz/.

(00:05) Intro
(02:05) Species Information
(18:37) Citations
(20:29) Music
(26:27) Pledge

Research for today’s show was compiled from:
Baeckens, S., & Van Damme, R. (2020). The island syndrome. Current Biology, 30(8), R338–R339. – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.029
Breitwieser I., Heenan P.J.; Nelson W.A., Wilton A.D. eds. (2010-2026). Flora of New Zealand Online – Taxon Profile - Veronica barkeri. – https://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/taxon/Veronica-barkeri.html
Chatham Island Temperate Forests. Ecoregion Snapshots: Descriptive Abstracts of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World, 2021. Developed by One Earth and RESOLVE. – https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/chatham-island-temperate-forests/
de Lange, P. 2025. Veronica barkeri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T30493A62620653. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS.T30493A62620653.en
de Lange, P.J. (2026): Veronica barkeri Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. – https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-barkeri/
iNaturalist – Chatham Islands
Kavanagh, P.H. (2015), Moa Herbivory and Divaricate Plants. Austral Ecology, 40: 206-211. – https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.12196
Mulligan, J. (Host), & Toki, N. (Presenter). (2019, May 17). Critter of the week: Chatham Island tree hebe [Audio radio broadcast]. Radio New Zealand. – https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018695557/critter-of-the-week-chatham-island-tree-hebe
New Zealand Department of Conservation. (n.d.). Chatham Islands plants. – https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/chatham-islands-plants/
Urlich, S. C., & Brown, K. P. (2005). Monitoring the effects of animal pests on Chatham Islands vegetation: A plan for 2004–2013. New Zealand Department of Conservation. – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309718759_Monitoring_the_effects_of_animal_pests_on_Chatham_Island_vegetation
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_barkeri

Please find us on the web at Bad at Goodbyes and on instagram. Please subscribe and rate/review Bad at Goodbyes wherever you listen to podcasts. Please help spread the word about the show and about the species we feature. Please take care of each other, and all of our fellow travelers.

A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.

Ganges Shark :: Glyphis gangeticus
Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 083
On today’s show we learn about the Ganges Shark, a critically endangered freshwater shark native to South and Southeast Asia, to the river systems of India, Bangladesh and Indonesian Borneo. Its scientific name is Glyphis gangeticus and it was first described in 1839.

For more information about Shark conservation please see the Shark Conservation Fund at https://www.sharkconservationfund.org.

(00:05) Intro
(02:05) Species Information
(19:53) Citations
(21:39) Music
(29:55) Pledge

Research for today’s show was compiled from:
Chowdhury, G., Akash, M., Haque, A. (2017). Status of the Ganges river shark Glyphis gangeticus (Müller & Henle, 1839). Dhaka University Journal of Biological Sciences. 26. 111-116. – https://doi.org/10.3329/dujbs.v26i1.46355
Compagno, L. J. V. (n.d.). Glyphis gangeticus. Sharks of the World, Naturalis Biodiversity Center. – https://sharks.linnaeus.naturalis.nl/linnaeus_ng/app/views/species/taxon.php?id=62717
De, K., A. Dwivedi. 2025. Call to Action for Conservation of the Critically Endangered Ganges Shark (Glyphis gangeticus). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems , 35(2). – https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70080
Duhigg, K. (2020, June). The rare shark of the Ganga. Mongabay India. – https://india.mongabay.com/2020/06/the-rare-shark-of-the-ganga/
Dunphy-Miller, S. 2025. "Glyphis gangeticus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed July 2, 2026 – https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Glyphis_gangeticus/
Haque AB, Das SA (2019) New records of the Critically Endangered Ganges shark Glyphis gangeticus in Bangladeshi waters: urgent monitoring needed. Endangered Species Research 40:65-73. – https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00981
iNatualist - Hooghly River / Sesayap River Delta
Jabado, R.W., Kyne, P.M., Nazareth, E. and Sutaria, D.N. (2018), A rare contemporary record of the Critically Endangered Ganges shark Glyphis gangeticus. Journal of Fish Biology, 92: 1663-1669. – https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13619
Martin, R.A. 2005. Conservation of freshwater and euryhaline elasmobranchs. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 85: 1049-1073. – https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315405012105
Martin, R. A. (n.d.). The mysterious, endangered river sharks (Glyphis spp.). ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research. – http://www.elasmo-research.org/conservation/river_sharks.htm
Rigby, C.L., Derrick, D., Dulvy, N.K., Grant, M.I. & Jabado, R.W. 2021. Glyphis gangeticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T169473392A124398647. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T169473392A124398647.en
Saha, S., Pal, P., Halder, S., Dhara, K., & Saha, N. (2022). Shark diversity in the Indian Sundarban biosphere. FishTaxa, 23, 53-56. – https://fishtaxa.com/index.php/FishTaxa/article/view/50
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges_shark

Please find us on the web at Bad at Goodbyes and on instagram. Please subscribe and rate/review Bad at Goodbyes wherever you listen to podcasts. Please help spread the word about the show and about the species we feature. Please take care of each other, and all of our fellow travelers.

A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.

Spindle Palm :: Hyophorbe verschaffeltii
Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 082

On today’s show we learn about the Spindle Palm, a critically endangered flowering palm native to the Republic of Mauritius on Rodrigues Island in the southern Indian Ocean. Its scientific name is Hyophorbe verschaffeltii and it was first described in 1866.
For more information about conservation on the islands of Mauritius please see the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation at https://www.mauritian-wildlife.org

(00:05) Intro
(02:05) Species Information
(18:43) Citations
(20:25) Music
(27:11) Pledge

Research for today’s show was compiled from:
Bailey, L. H. (1942). Palms of the Mascarenes. Gentes Herbarum, 6, 51–85. – https://media.e-taxonomy.eu/palmae/protologe/palm_tc_121020_P.pdf
Botânico, M. P., & Angyalossy, V. (2013). Is the secondary thickening in palms always diffuse? [Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Science 85(4)] Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 85(4), 1461–1472. – https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-37652013108612
Friedman, M. H., Andreu, M. G., Quintana, H. V., & McKenzie, M. (2010). Hyophorbe verschaffeltii, Spindle Palm: FOR 241/FR303, 5/2010. EDIS, 2010(4). – https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fr303-2010
Henderson, A. (2024). Pollination Systems of Palms (Arecaceae). Journal of Pollination Ecology, 36, 144–248. – https://doi.org/10.26786/1920-7603(2024)782
iNaturalist - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?captive=false&nelat=-19.653424450781902&nelng=63.51122182&quality_grade=research&subview=map&swlat=-19.779143834184264&swlng=63.317004655&view=species
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved June 24, 2026. – https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:667456-1
Maunder, M., Page, W., Mauremootoo, J., Payendee, R., Mungroo, Y., Maljkovic, A., Lyte, B. (2002). The decline and conservation management of the threatened endemic palms of the Mascarene Islands. Oryx, 36(1), 56–65. – https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605302000091
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. (2025). Annual report: On the activities of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation year 2024. – https://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/mwf-files/files/files/Mauritian%20Wildlife%20Foundation%20Annual%20report%202024.pdf
Ortega-Chávez, N., & Stauffer, F. W. (2011). Ontogeny and structure of the acervulate partial inflorescence in Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (Arecaceae; Arecoideae). Annals of Botany, 108(8), 1517–1527. – https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcr149
Tatayah, V., Jhangeer-Khan, R. & Bégué, J.A. 2021. Hyophorbe verschaffeltii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T38582A67537366. Accessed on 23 June 2026. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T38582A67537366.en
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyophorbe_verschaffeltii

Please find us on the web at Bad at Goodbyes and on instagram. Please subscribe and rate/review Bad at Goodbyes wherever you listen to podcasts. Please help spread the word about the show and about the species we feature. Please take care of each other, and all of our fellow travelers.

A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.