Procellariidae:<\/u> Petrels and Shearwaters<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Buller\u2019s Shearwater<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a9 David M. Bell<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Petrels and shearwaters are birds of the high seas, rarely approaching land except when nesting.\u00a0 Like albatrosses, they are able to glide effortlessly and endlessly on stiffly outstretched wings, sailing on any breath of wind, as they patrol vast expanses of open ocean in search of food.\u00a0 The Procellariidae<\/em> are the most diverse and widespread of the four \u201ctubenose\u201d families\u2014named for tubular nostril-like structures on the tops of their bills that secrete excess ocean salt and apparently enable the birds to detect scents with great sensitivity and follow them to productive foraging sites scattered across vast featureless expanses of open ocean.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Identification<\/strong><\/span><\/p> Petrels and shearwaters present numerous identification challenges, not least because they are difficult to see clearly under typical field conditions at sea, as many observations are fleeting glimpses at long range and high speed from a moving platform.\u00a0 Even under ideal circumstances, many species are very similar to their relatives and identification often turns on subtle differences in wing and facial patterns that are variable and strongly affected by molt stage and lighting conditions.\u00a0 Other features that can be useful in identification include bulk and flight behavior, which are difficult to judge objectively, rely on the observer\u2019s experience, and require rapid integration of contextual factors such as the angle of view, wind strength, and sea state.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Taxonomy<\/strong><\/span><\/p> Genetic analyses have advanced the understanding of relationships within the Procellariidae<\/em> and indicate that it comprises four subfamily-level lineages:<\/p> Fulmarinae:<\/span> Fulmars (8 or 9 species)<\/p> Pelecanoidinae:<\/span> Diving-petrels and prions (13 to 20 species)<\/p> Pterodrominae:<\/span> Gadfly petrels (34 to 37 species, plus 2 recently extinct)<\/p> Procellariinae:<\/span> Typical petrels and shearwaters (47 to 52 species, plus 1 recently extinct)<\/p> The species-level classification of petrels and shearwaters has undergone dramatic revisions since the 1990s, with a general trend toward recognition of greater diversity among forms that were previously regarded as subspecies.\u00a0 Most dramatically, three groups of small shearwaters\u2014formerly Manx, Audubon\u2019s, and Little\u2014have been subdivided into a total of anywhere from 23 to 28 species.\u00a0 This reclassification process continues and includes other examples such as the former Cory\u2019s Shearwater (now Cory\u2019s, Scopoli\u2019s, and Cape Verde) and Soft-plumaged Petrel (now Soft-plumaged, Cape Verde, Desertas, and Zino\u2019s).\u00a0 The resulting tally of procellariids rests somewhere in the span of 102 to 118 species (plus 3 recently extinct).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Lesser Snow Petrel<\/strong> (Pagodroma nivea<\/em>)<\/p> Greater Snow Petrel<\/strong> (Pagodroma confusa<\/em>)<\/p> Antarctic Petrel <\/strong>(Thalassoica antarctica<\/em>)<\/p> Cape Petrel<\/strong> (Daption capense<\/em>)<\/p> Southern Giant Petrel<\/strong> (Macronectes giganteus<\/em>)<\/p> Northern Giant Petrel<\/strong> (Macronectes halli<\/em>)<\/p> Southern Fulmar<\/strong> (Fulmarus glacialoides<\/em>)<\/p> Northern Fulmar<\/strong> (Fulmarus glacialis<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cAtlantic Fulmar\u201d<\/strong> (F. g. glacialis<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cPacific Fulmar\u201d<\/strong> (F. g. rodgersii<\/em>)<\/p> Kerguelen Petrel<\/strong> (Aphrodroma brevirostris<\/em>)<\/p> Peruvian Diving-Petrel <\/strong>(Pelecanoides garnotii<\/em>)<\/p> Common Diving-Petrel <\/strong>(Pelecanoides urinatrix<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cSubtropical Diving-Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. u. urinatrix<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cChatham Diving-Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. u. chathamensis<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cTristan Diving-Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. u. dacunhae<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cFalkland Diving-Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. u. berard<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cSubantarctic Diving-Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. u. exsul<\/em>)<\/p> South Georgia Diving-Petrel <\/strong>(Pelecanoides georgicus<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cSouth Georgia Diving-Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. g. georgicus<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cCodfish Diving-Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. g. whenuahouensis<\/em>)<\/p> Magellanic Diving-Petrel <\/strong>(Pelecanoides magellani<\/em>)<\/p> Blue Petrel <\/strong>(Halobaena caerulea<\/em>)<\/p> Broad-billed Prion <\/strong>(Pachyptila vittata<\/em>)<\/p> Salvin\u2019s Prion <\/strong>(Pachyptila salvini<\/em>)<\/p> MacGillivray\u2019s Prion <\/strong>(Pachyptila macgillivrayi<\/em>)<\/p> Antarctic Prion <\/strong>(Pachyptila desolata<\/em>)<\/p> Slender-billed Prion <\/strong>(Pachyptila belcheri<\/em>)<\/p> Fairy Prion <\/strong>(Pachyptila turtur<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cNorthern Fairy Prion\u201d <\/strong>(P. t. turtur<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cSubantarctic Fairy Prion\u201d <\/strong>(P. t. subantarctica<\/em>)<\/p> Fulmar Prion <\/strong>(Pachyptila crassirostris<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cGreater Fulmar Prion\u201d <\/strong>(P. c. crassirostris<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cLesser Fulmar Prion\u201d <\/strong>(P. c. flemingi<\/em>)<\/p> Bonin Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma hypoleuca<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> White-winged Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma leucoptera<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cGould\u2019s Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. l. leucoptera<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cNew Caledonia Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. l. caledonica<\/em>)<\/p> Chatham Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma axillaris<\/em>)<\/p> Black-winged Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma nigripennis<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Cook\u2019s Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma cookii<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Pycroft\u2019s Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma pycrofti<\/em>)<\/p> Collared Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma brevipes<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cCollared Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. b. brevipes<\/em>)<\/p> \u201cMagnificent Petrel\u201d <\/strong>(P. b. magnificens<\/em>)<\/p> De Filippi\u2019s Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma defilippiana<\/em>)<\/p> Stejneger\u2019s Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma longirostris<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Mottled Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma inexpectata<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Phoenix Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma alba<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Herald Petrel<\/strong> (Pterodroma heraldica<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Trindade Petrel<\/strong> (Pterodroma arminjoniana<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Henderson Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma atrata<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Kermadec Petrel<\/strong> (Pterodroma neglecta<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Providence Petrel<\/strong> (Pterodroma solandri<\/em>)<\/p> Murphy\u2019s Petrel<\/strong> (Pterodroma ultima<\/em>)<\/a><\/p> Vanuatu Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma occulta<\/em>)<\/p> White-necked Petrel <\/strong>(Pterodroma cervicalis<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/birdfinding.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/BullersShearwater10.jpg\")
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