Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order
Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate
relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in
three of the four families within that group (except the
Albatross family, Diomedeidae).
All the members of the order are exclusively pelagic in distribution
— returning to land only to breed.
The family Procellariidae is the main radiation of medium-sized
true petrels, characterised by united nostrils with medium septum,
and a long outer functional primary. It is dominant in the Southern
Oceans, but not so in the Northern Hemisphere.
It includes a number of petrel groups, the relationships between
which have finally been resolved to satisfaction. |
The family Procellariidae
7 species of surface predators
and filter feeders, breed in high latitudes but
migrate along cool
currents to the north. All but Fulmarus essentially confined to
the south, Fulmarus apparently
colonised the N hemisphere during the Early Miocene.
The fulmarine petrels:
Genus Procellaria, (5)
Grey Petrel, Grey Shearwater, or Pediunker, Procellaria cinerea,
breeds on subantarctic islands
White-chinned Petrel, Procellaria aequincotialis, breeds
on subantarctic islands
Spectacled Petrel, Procellaria consicillata, breeds on
Inaccessible Island
Black Petrel, or Parkinson's Petrel, Procellaria parkinsoni,
breeds on Little Barrier Island and Great Barrier Is.
Westland Petrel, Procellaria westlandica, breeds on South
Island
Genus Macronectes - The huge giant petrels, , which are
convergent with the albatrosses, (2)
Southern Giant Petrel, Macronectes giganteus
Northern Giant Petrel, Macronectes halli
Genus Fulmarus - The true fulmars (2)
Northern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis
Southern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialodes
Genus Thalassoica:
Antarctic Petrel, Thalassoica antarctica,
Genus Daption:
Cape Petrel, Daption capense,
Genus Pagodroma:
Snow Petrel, Pagodroma nivea.
The gadfly
petrels: These are a considerable number of agile
short-billed petrels in the
Genus Pterodroma which include the endangered Bermuda Petrel
or Cahow and a considerable
number of forms rendered extinct by human activity. (~37, few
are instinct)
The prions:
A specialised group of a few very numerous species, all southern.
They have a small, fulmar-like
form and mostly filter-feed on zooplankton.
Genus: Pachyptila, the prions proper (6)
Genus: Halobaena (1)
Blue Petrel, Halobaena caerulea
The procellariine petrels,
larger or mid-sized species feeding on fish and molluscs which
are fairly
close to the prions:
Genus: Procellaria (5)
Genus: Bulweria (2)
Bulwer's Petrel, Bulweria bulwerii
Jouanin's Petrel, Bulweria fallax
The Shearwaters:
numerous species in several genera with a medium number of species.
Genus Puffinus: (~19)
Genus: Calonectris, (3)
(Sub)genus: Ardenna (all named Puffinus
7)
Genus: Pseudobulweria, (5) incl.
Beck's Petrel
Genus: Lugensa:
Kerguelen Petrel, Lugensa brevirostris.
The family
Hydrobatidae is
the storm petrels, small pelagic petrels with a fluttering flight
which often follow ships.
Subfamily Oceanitinae
(8)
Genus: Oceanites
Wilson's Storm Petrel, Oceanites oceanicus
New Zealand Storm Petrel, Oceanites maorianus
Elliot's Storm Petrel, Oceanites gracilis
Grey-backed Storm Petrel, Garrodia nereis
White-faced Storm Petrel, Pelagodroma marina
Black-bellied Storm Petrel or Gould's Storm-Petrel, Fregetta tropica
White-bellied Storm Petrel, Fregetta grallaria
Polynesian Storm Petrel, Nesofregetta fuliginosa
Genus: Garrodia
Genus: Pelagodroma
Genus: Fregetta
White-bellied Storm Petrel, Fregetta grallaria
Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Fregetta tropica
Genus: Nesofregetta
Subfamily Hydrobatinae (15)
Genus: Hydrobates
Genus: Oceanodroma
The family Pelecanoididae
is the four species of diving petrels,
Genus Pelacanoides. These are auk-like small petrels of
the southern oceans. (3)
Source: different pages on Wikipedia. |
The above list is mainly based on list of Petrells
in 'Norske navn på verdens fugler', at http://www.birdlife.no/fuglekunnskap/navn/index.php?name=petrell&submit=S%C3%B8k |
