Procellaria
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Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae

[Photo] Fardela de Nueva Zelanda (Procellaria westlandica). WESTLAND PETREL. Mar afuera frente a Quintero. Junio 30, 2007. Source: Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/pablocaceres/1067648250/). Author: pablo_caceres_c (www.flickr.com/photos/pablocaceres/).

Procellaria is a genus of southern ocean long-winged seabirds

All five species are named as 'petrel', although they were thought to be more closely related to the shearwaters and current research places them closer to the prions.

They are large shearwaters, found in the temperate and cold waters of the southern oceans. They are pelagic outside the breeding season. These tubenose birds fly with stiff wings, and use a “shearing” flight technique to move across wave fronts with the minimum of active flight.

They visit their nesting islands and coastal cliffs only to breed. They nest in burrows and lay a single white egg.

The Procellaria shearwaters feed on fish, squid and similar oceanic food. Some will follow fishing boats to take scraps.

List of species
- Grey Petrel, Procellaria cinerea
- White-chinned Petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis
- Spectacled Petrel, Procellaria conspicillata
- Black Petrel, Procellaria parkinsoni
- Westland Petrel, Procellaria westlandica

In addition, there is one undescribed prehistoric species known from fossils.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procellaria

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