Procellariiformes

Procellariiformes
source
Name	Procellariiformes
Regnum	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Classis	Aves
Ordo	Procellariiformes
Subdivision ranks	Families
Subdivision	Diomedeidae; Procellariidae; Hydrobatidae; Pelecanoididae

Contents

Procellariiformes are an order of seabirds including albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, and storm-petrels, characterized by tubular nostrils, pelagic habits, and long-distance flight. Members are central to studies of Charles Darwin-era biogeography, were noted by explorers such as James Cook and Captain James Cook's voyages, and feature in conservation efforts led by organizations like BirdLife International and the IUCN. They have been subjects of research at institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the British Antarctic Survey, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Taxonomy and classification

The order is divided among families historically debated by authorities such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Zoological Society of London, with molecular revisions influenced by labs at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Major families include the albatrosses (Diomedeidae), the true petrels and shearwaters (Procellariidae), the storm-petrels (Hydrobatidae), and the diving-petrels (Pelecanoididae). Taxonomic treatments reference collections from museums like the Natural History Museum, London and analytical frameworks developed at the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences (United States). Fossil genera recovered from sites investigated by teams from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Copenhagen have informed phylogenies published in journals associated with the Royal Society Publishing and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Adults typify a suite of morphological traits used by field guides published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: tubular nostrils, hooked bill with horny plates, and a strong salt gland above the bill studied at laboratories such as the Max Planck Society and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Flight styles—dynamic soaring in albatrosses cited in works from University of Auckland researchers, stiff-winged gliding documented by the Australian Museum, and flapping flight in storm-petrels examined by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute—assist identification in atlases produced by the American Ornithological Society. Plumage variation and biometric measurements are catalogued in collections curated by the Field Museum and the National Museum of Natural History (France).

Procellariiform seabirds occupy oceanic zones recorded on maps assembled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-informed studies from the Met Office. Albatrosses are concentrated in Southern Ocean latitudes near South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Falkland Islands, while shearwaters and petrels range from subarctic waters near Iceland and the Faroe Islands to tropical zones adjacent to Hawaiʻi and the Galápagos Islands. Island breeding colonies are monitored at sites such as Midway Atoll, Tristan da Cunha, and Saint Helena, and habitat use is modeled using telemetry programs run by the Australian Antarctic Division and the British Antarctic Survey.

Foraging strategies—surface seizing, plunge diving, and scavenging—are documented in collaborative studies involving the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Many species undertake transoceanic migrations tracked with devices developed by engineering groups at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and analyzed in partnerships with the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society). Trophic roles connecting to fisheries are discussed in reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization and in ecosystem assessments by the International Whaling Commission. Social behaviors at breeding colonies have been observed by researchers affiliated with the University of Cape Town and the University of Auckland.

Longevity, delayed maturity, low fecundity, and biparental care define life histories summarized in reviews published through the American Ornithological Society and case studies by the Zoological Society of London. Nesting on remote islands such as Gough Island, Macquarie Island, and Kerguelen ties reproductive success to invasive predator control programs run by conservation NGOs including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Island Conservation group. Phenology and chick provisioning rates have been measured in long-term studies supported by the National Science Foundation and recorded in datasets curated by the British Antarctic Survey.

Procellariiformes face threats from introduced predators, bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries scrutinized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Food and Agriculture Organization, plastic ingestion highlighted by campaigns from Greenpeace and research centers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and climate-driven changes documented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Conservation measures include bycatch mitigation protocols advocated by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels and habitat restoration projects coordinated with the United Nations Environment Programme and the RSPB. Protected area designations by states such as Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and international treaties like the Convention on Biological Diversity have been central to recovery planning.

Category:Seabirds