BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Storm-Petrels
Order Procellariiformes Family Hydrobatidae
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises albatrosses, shearwaters, and various type of petrels. Wings are long and narrow; feet are webbed, and the hind toe is undeveloped or non-existent. Plumage is predominantly black, white and gray. They are almost exclusively pelagic (feeding in the open ocean). They distributed across the world's oceans, with the highest diversity being around New Zealand. Procellariiformes mostly nesting on remote predator-free islands. Only a single egg is laid per nesting attempt. The various species within the order have a variety of migration strategies. Many species undertake regular trans-equatorial migrations. However, no albatrosses cross the migrate across the equator because they rely on wind assisted flight.
The order has a few unifying characteristics, starting with their tubular nasal passages enclosed in one or two tubes on their straight, deeply grooved bills with hooked tips. These passages are used for smelling which helps to locate patchily distributed prey at sea and may also help locate their nests within nesting colonies. Also, they have a stomach oil stored that can be used as a food source during their long flights and also as a defense mechanism. All birds have an enlarged nasal gland at the base of the bill, above their eyes. This gland is inactive in species that don't require it; however the Procellariiformes do require its use due to their drinking of ocean water. It removes salt that forms a 5% saline solution that drips out of their nose or is forcibly ejected in some petrels.
The order has a few unifying characteristics, starting with their tubular nasal passages enclosed in one or two tubes on their straight, deeply grooved bills with hooked tips. These passages are used for smelling which helps to locate patchily distributed prey at sea and may also help locate their nests within nesting colonies. Also, they have a stomach oil stored that can be used as a food source during their long flights and also as a defense mechanism. All birds have an enlarged nasal gland at the base of the bill, above their eyes. This gland is inactive in species that don't require it; however the Procellariiformes do require its use due to their drinking of ocean water. It removes salt that forms a 5% saline solution that drips out of their nose or is forcibly ejected in some petrels.
Storm-Petrels
Order Procellariiformes Family Hydrobatidae
Storm-petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. They are almost exclusively pelagic (feeding in the open ocean). As a result, their legs are not well designed for walking and they move poorly around their nests. Most have dark brown or black upperparts and a white rump. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. They often follow ships to feed on propeller debris. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like. Most species nest in crevices or burrows and all but one species attends the breeding colonies nocturnally. They lay 1 white egg.
Genus Fregetta
Petrel, Black-bellied Storm- Fregetta tropica Found: Madagascar, Australasia
Image by: 1) John Gould 2) Tim Lenz 3) Edward Rooks
Petrel, White-bellied Storm- Fregetta grallaria Found: Asia, Australasia, Africa, South America
Image by: 1) Danmantle
Petrel, New Zealand Storm- Fregetta maoriana Found: New Zealand
The New Zealand Storm-Pretel blackish upperparts; white rump; mostly black underparts with white belly.
Image by: 1, 2) Tom Tarrant
Genus Garrodia - 1 species
Petrel,_Gray-backed_Storm- Garrodia nereis Found: Australasia, Africa, South America
Image by: 1, 2) David Cook - Australia 3) JJ_Harrison - Tasmania
Genus Hydrobates - 1 species
Petrel,_European_Storm- Hydrobates pelagicus Found: .North America, Europe, Asia, Africa
The European Storm-Pretel has mainly black plumage; white rump; white band on underwings.
Image by: 1) Otter - Scotland 2) Fabian Montojo 3) Muchaxo
Genus Nesofregetta - 1 species
Petrel, Polynesian Storm- Nesofregetta fuliginosa Found: Chile, Fiji and other Polynesian Islands
Image by: 1, 2) Brad Schram
Genus Oceanites
Petrel, Pincoya Storm- Oceanites pincoyae Found: South America
The Pincoya Storm-Petrel has blackish-brown upperparts; washed silver-gray mantle, nape,
Image by: 1) Claudio Vidal 2) Cristián_Pinto
Petrel, White-vented Storm- also Elliot's Storm-petrel Oceanites gracilis Found: off the Pacific Coast of South America
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Galapagos Islands 4) David Cook - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Petrel, Wilson's Storm- Oceanites oceanicus Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
The Wilson's Storm-Petrel has a white rump; some white on wings; legs extend beyon the tail.
SImilar to: Band-rumped Storm-Petrel. Wilson's Storm-Petrel's legs extend beyon the tail; Band-rumped Storm-Petrel's legs do not extend beyond tail.
Image by: 1) Patrick Coin 2) Putneymark - Antarctica 3) Dominique_Filippi 4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels - off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at the Gulf Stream.SImilar to: Band-rumped Storm-Petrel. Wilson's Storm-Petrel's legs extend beyon the tail; Band-rumped Storm-Petrel's legs do not extend beyond tail.
Genus Oceanodroma
They have square tail, short legs, short wings.
Petrel,_Ashy Storm- Oceanodroma homochroa Found: Pacific coast of North America
Similar to: Black Storm Petrel. Ashy-Storm Petrel is sooty brown; Black Storm-Petrel is black. Ashy Storm-Petrel is smaller and has a more fluttering style of flight than Black Storm Petrel, Ashy Storm-Petrel's upstroke only becoming horizontal to the body before beginning the downstroke; Black Storm-Petrel has a higher upstroke.
Image by: 1) Annie_Schmidt 2) Duncan Wright 3) Don Loarie
Petrel,_Band-rumped_Storm- Oceanodroma castro Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa
The Band-rumped Storm-Petrel has a white rump; legs do not extend beyon the tail.
Similar to: Leach's Storm-Petrel. Leach's Storm-Petrel has a deeper tail notch than the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.
SImilar to: Wilson's Storm-Petrel. Wilson's Storm-Petrel's legs extend beyon the tail; Band-rumped Storm-Petrel's legs do not extend beyond tail.
Image by: 1) Andre Raine 2) Richard Crossley 3, 4) Dan Irizarry - North Carolina, Florida coast 5) Julio Mulero - North CarolinaSimilar to: Leach's Storm-Petrel. Leach's Storm-Petrel has a deeper tail notch than the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.
SImilar to: Wilson's Storm-Petrel. Wilson's Storm-Petrel's legs extend beyon the tail; Band-rumped Storm-Petrel's legs do not extend beyond tail.
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Petrel,_Black_Storm- Oceanodroma melania Found: western North and South America
The Black Storm-Petrel is black except for some pale on bill.
Similar to: Ashy Storm Petrel. Ashy-Storm Petrel is sooty brown; Black Storm-Petrel is black. Ashy Storm-Petrel is smaller and has a more fluttering style of flight than Black Storm Petrel, Ashy Storm-Petrel's upstroke only becoming horizontal to the body before beginning the downstroke; Black Storm-Petrel has a higher upstroke.
Image by: 1) Ricardo Valenzuela 2) Marcel Holyoak - California 3) Amy_McAndrewsSimilar to: Ashy Storm Petrel. Ashy-Storm Petrel is sooty brown; Black Storm-Petrel is black. Ashy Storm-Petrel is smaller and has a more fluttering style of flight than Black Storm Petrel, Ashy Storm-Petrel's upstroke only becoming horizontal to the body before beginning the downstroke; Black Storm-Petrel has a higher upstroke.
Petrel, Cape Verde Storm- Oceanodroma jabejabe Found: Cape Verde (islands off west coast of Africa)
The Cape Verde Storm-Petrel was formerly considered subspecies of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.
Image by: 1) Serg iViudas
Petrel, Fork-tailed Storm- Oceanodroma furcata Found: North America, Asia
Similar to: White-faced Storm-Petrel. White-faced Storm-Petrel has white on its face; Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel does not.
Image by: 1) C. Schlawe, USFWS 2) USFWS - Alaska 3) Marcel Holyoak - California
Petrel, Leach's Storm- Oceanodroma leucorhoa Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia
There are two forms - white-rumped, dark-rumped. Mainly has dark-brown plumage.
Similar to: Band-rumped Storm Petrel. Leach's Storm-Petrel has a deeper tail notch than the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.
Image by: 1) Naumann 2) Schlawe, USFWS 3) Marvel Holyoak - California 4) Champagne for monkeys - Nova Scotia Similar to: Band-rumped Storm Petrel. Leach's Storm-Petrel has a deeper tail notch than the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.
1, 2, 3) White rump form
Petrel, Least Storm- Oceanodroma microsoma Found: west coast North America, Mexico, northern South America
Image by: 1) Audubon
Petrel, Markham's Storm- Oceanodroma markhami Found: off west coast of Central and South America
Image by: 1) Jaime Jahncke
Petrel, Matsudaira's Storm- Oceanodroma matsudairae Found: Australasia, Indonesia, Japan
Image by: 1, 2) Tony Morris
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Petrel, Monteiro's Storm- Oceanodroma monteiroi Found: Azores of Portugal
Image by: 1) kmmsp
Petrel, Ringed Storm- Oceanodroma hornbyi Found: off west coast of North and South America
The Ringed Storm-Pretrel has dark cap, nape; white face, underparts; black breast band; forked tail.
Image by: 1) Joseph Smit 2) Cornelia Oedekoven 3) Gunnar_Engblom - Peru
Petrel, Swinhoe's Storm- Oceanodroma monorhis Found: Asia, Indonesia
The Swinhoe's Storm=Petrel has mainly dark brown plumage.
Image by: 1) Rafael Matias
Petrel,_Townsend's, Storm- Oceanodroma socorroensis Found: off coast of Mexico
Image by: 1) Brian_Sullivan
Petrel, Tristram's Storm- Oceanodroma tristrami Found: Japan, Hawaiian Islands
Image by: 1, 2) Duncan Wright 3) Tony Morris
1) Chick
Petrel, Wedge-rumped Storm- Oceanodroma tethys Found: Off west coast Americas (Breeds Galapagos; off Peru)
The Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel has large white wedge on upper-tail.
Image by: 1) Brian Gratwicke
Genus Pelagodroma - 1 species
Petrel, White-faced Storm- Pelagodroma marina Found: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia
Similar to: Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel. White-faced Storm-Petrel has white on its face; Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel does not.
Image by: 1) JJ Harrison 2, 3) AngrySunbird 4) Australia Aviceda
