PROCELLARIIFORMES of The World
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. [abstracted from Wikipedia]
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. [abstracted from Wikipedia]
Shearwaters
Order Procellariiformes Family Procellariidae
The procellariid family is usually broken up into four fairly distinct groups; the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This web page contains the prions and the shearwaters.
Prions are small petrels. They are found in the Southern Ocean and breed on a number of subantarctic islands. Prions grow 20–27 cm long, and have blue-gray upper parts and white underparts. All prions are marine and feed on small crustacea and some small fish.
Genus Pachyptila
Prion, Antarctic Pachyptila desolata Found: Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Antarctic region
Photographed by Liam Quinn - South Atlantic Ocean
Prion, Fairy Pachyptila turtur Found: oceans and coastal areas in the Southern Hemisphere (including AF, AU, SA)
Photographed by: 1) Zoopro 2) Sabine's Sunbird - off Northland Coast, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand
3) David Cook - Continental shelf, off Eden, NSW, Australi
Prion, Slender-billed Pachyptila belcheri Found: Australia, off coast of South America
Photographed by Charlie Westerinen - the Drakes Passage to Antarctica
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Shearwaters fly with stiff wings and use a “shearing” flight technique to move across wave fronts with the minimum of active flight. Many are long-distance migrants. They are also long-lived, some live to 50 years. Shearwaters come to islands and coastal cliffs only to breed. They are nocturnal at the colonial breeding sites, preferring moonless nights to minimize predation. They feed on fish, squid, and similar oceanic food.
Genus Halobaena - 1 species
The Blue Petrel is closely related to prions. I was not able to determine if it is in the prion / shearwater subfamily, but that is my best guess.
Petrel, Blue Halobaena caerulea Found: South America, Afica, Australia, Antarctic
Photographed by Charlie Westerinen - the Drake Passage
Genus Calonectris
Shearwater, Cory's Calonectris diomedea Found: Atlantic coasts of North America, South America, Europe, Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Dan Irizarry - off coast of North Carolina Matrina Noite
Genus Puffinus
Shearwater, Audubon's Puffinus lherminieri Found: The Americas (east coast), Africa, Asia. Australasia
Similar to: Manx Shearwater. Audubon's Shearwater and the Manx Shearwater are both small and white-bellied. Audubon's Shearwater has white in front of its eye, Manx Shearwater does not.
Similar to: Galapgos Shearwater. Until recently the Galapagos Shearwater was considered to be a subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater.
Similar to: Galapgos Shearwater. Until recently the Galapagos Shearwater was considered to be a subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater.
Shearwater, Black-vented Puffinus opisthomelas Found: North America (West coast)
Similar to: Pink-footed Shearwater. The Black-vented Shearwater has a dark bill compared to pink for the Pink-footed. It is also much smaller than the Pink-footed Shearwater.
Similar to: Manx Shearwater. Ranges usually don't overlap. Manx Shearwater has sharper facial features.
Similar to: Manx Shearwater. Ranges usually don't overlap. Manx Shearwater has sharper facial features.
Shearwater, Buller's Puffinus bulleri Found: The Americas (Pacific Coast), Asia, Australasia
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Aviceda - New Zealand
Shearwater, Flesh-footed Puffinus carneipes Found: North America (West coast), Asia, Australasia
Similar to: Pink-footed Shearwater. They look similar when seen from above. Easy to differentiate when seen from below because ot the Pink-footed Shearwater's white belly.
Shearwater, Galapagos Puffinus subalaris Found: Galapagos Islands and ranging to coastal South America
Similar to: Audubon's Shearwater. Until recently the Galapagos Shearwater was considered to be a subspecies of Audubon's Shearwater.
Shearwater. Great Puffinus gravis Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia
Photographed by: 1, 3) Patrick Coin - off North Carolina Coast 2) Dann Blackwood, USGS - Stellwagen Bank, off Cape Cod
Shearwater, Manx Puffinus puffinus Found: The Americas, Europe, Africa, Australasia
Similar to: Audubon's Shearwater. Audubon's Shearwater and the Manx Shearwater are both small and white-bellied. Audubon's Shearwater has white in front of its eye, Manx Shearwater does not.
Similar to: Black-vented Shearwater. Ranges usually don't overlap. Manx Shearwater has sharper facial features.
Similar to: Black-vented Shearwater. Ranges usually don't overlap. Manx Shearwater has sharper facial features.
Shearwater, Pink-footed Puffinus creatopus Found: The Americas
Similar to: Flesh-footed Shearwater. They look similar when seen from above. Easy to differentiate when seen from below because ot the Pink-footed Shearwater's white belly.
Similar to: Black-vented Shearwater. The Black-vented Shearwater has a dark bill compared to pink for the Pink-footed. It is also much smaller than the Pink-footed Shearwater.
Similar to: Black-vented Shearwater. The Black-vented Shearwater has a dark bill compared to pink for the Pink-footed. It is also much smaller than the Pink-footed Shearwater.
3) Jerry Oldenettel - California 4) Julio Mulero - California 5) Mike Baird - California
Shearwater, Short-tailed Puffinus tenuirostris Found: The Americas, Australia
Similar to: Sooty Shearwater, Wedge-tailed Shearwater
1) Juvenile
Shearwater, Sooty Puffinus griseus Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Similar to: Short-tailed, Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Shearwater, Wedge-tailed Puffinus pacificus Found: The Americas (west coast), Asia, Africa, Australia
Similar to: Short-tailed, Sooty Shearwater
1, 2, 3) Light morph 4) Intermediate morph
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