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Revision as of 03:55, 22 October 2009 editImageRemovalBot (talk | contribs)Bots353,072 edits Removing deleted image← Previous edit Revision as of 00:09, 22 January 2010 edit undoRabo3 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers11,716 editsm →Species in taxonomic orderNext edit →
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** ''Pterodroma hypoleuca'', ''']''' ** ''Pterodroma hypoleuca'', ''']'''
** ''Pterodroma cervicalis'', ''']''' ** ''Pterodroma cervicalis'', ''']'''
** ''Pterodroma occulta'', ''']''' or '''Vanuatu Petrel''' *** ''Pterodroma (cervicalis) occulta'', ''']''' or '''Vanuatu Petrel'''
** ''Pterodroma nigripennis'', ''']''' ** ''Pterodroma nigripennis'', ''']'''
** ''Pterodroma axillaris'', ''']''' ** ''Pterodroma axillaris'', ''']'''

Revision as of 00:09, 22 January 2010

Gadfly Petrels
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neoaves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Pterodroma
Bonaparte, 1856
Species

About 35, see text.

Diversity
]

The gadfly petrels are seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. These medium to large petrels feed on food items picked from the ocean surface.

The short, sturdy bills of the Pterodroma species in this group, about 35 altogether, are adapted for soft prey taken at the surface; they have twisted intestines for digesting marine animals which have unusual biochemistries.

Their complex wing and face marking are probably for interspecific recognition.

These birds nest in colonies on islands and are pelagic when not breeding. One white egg is laid usually in a burrow or on open ground. They are nocturnal at the breeding colonies.

Species in taxonomic order

The taxonomy of the gadfly petrels is being reformed at the moment. Several genera have been split off over time, as they are closer to the procellarine and Puffinus shearwaters. Some subspecies have been raised to full species rank. The arrangement given here is traditional, but annotates the changes proposed by Austin (1998) and Bretagnolle et al. (1998). For the current taxonomy, see also Brooke (2004).

The Cookilaria group, regarded by some authorities as a subgenus, consists of the following species: Cook's, Pycroft's, De Filippi's, Stejneger's, Black-winged, Chatham Islands, Bonin, Mottled, Gould's and Collared Petrels.


A Pleistocene fossil from Aldabra, Indian Ocean, was described as Pterodroma kurodai. Biogeographically, it could belong into any genus.

Footnotes

  1. Onley, D. & Schofield, P. (2007)

References

  • Austin, Jeremy J. (1996): Molecular Phylogenetics of Puffinus Shearwaters: Preliminary Evidence from Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene Sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 6(1): 77–88 doi:10.1006/mpev.1996.0060 (HTML abstract)
  • Bretagnolle, V., Attié, C., Pasquet, E., (1998) "Cytochrome-B evidence for validity and phylogenetic relationships of Pseudobulweria and Bulweria (Procellariidae)" Auk 115(1):188-195 PDf fulltext
  • Brooke, M. (2004): Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-850125-0
  • Onley, Derek and Paul Scofield (2007) Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World Helm Field Guides ISBN 978-9-7136-4332-9
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