Gadfly petrel

The gadfly petrels or Pterodroma are a genus of about 35 species of petrels, part of the seabird order Procellariiformes. The gadfly petrels are named for their speedy weaving flight, as if evading gadflies (horseflies). The flight action is also reflected in the name Pterodroma, from Ancient Greek pteron, "wing" and dromos, "runner".[1]

Gadfly petrels
Black-capped petrel (Pterodroma hasitata)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Pterodroma
Bonaparte, 1856
Species

About 35, see text

Diversity
1 genus and 33 species

The short, sturdy bills of these medium to large petrels are adapted for soft prey that they pick from the ocean surface. They have twisted intestines for digesting marine animals that 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.

While generally wide-ranging, most Pterodroma species are confined to a single ocean basin (e.g. Atlantic), and vagrancy is not as common amongst the genus as in some other seabird species (c.f. the storm petrels Hydrobatidae).

Species in taxonomic order

The taxonomy of the gadfly petrels is being refined 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)[2] and Bretagnolle et al. (1998).[3] For the current taxonomy, see also Brooke (2004).[4]

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

See also

References
  1. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 322. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  2. 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. PMID 8812308.
  3. Bretagnolle, Vincent; Pasquet, Eric; Bretagnolle, V.; Attié, C.; Pasquet, E. (1998). "Cytochrome-B evidence for validity and phylogenetic relationships of Pseudobulweria and Bulweria (Procellariidae)" (PDF). Auk. 115 (1): 188–195. doi:10.2307/4089123.
  4. Brooke, M. (2004): Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-850125-0
  5. Proposed Splits (PS) and Newly Described Species (NEW) that are candidates for addition to the IOC World List. worldbirdnames.org
  6. Ardeola 49:39
  7. Notornis 41(S):165
  8. Bull BOC 135(3): 267–277
  9. AtollRes.Bull.325
  10. Onley, Derek and Paul Scofield (2007) Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World Helm Field Guides ISBN 978-0-7136-4332-9
  11. Bretagnolle, Vincent; Shirihai, Hadoram. "A new taxon of Collared Petrel Pterodroma brevipes from the Banks Islands, Vanuatu" (PDF). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 130 (4): 286.
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