Fulmarine petrel


The fulmarine petrels or fulmar-petrels are a distinct group of petrels within the family Procellariidae. They are the most variable of the four groups within the Procellariidae, differing greatly in size and biology. They do, however, have a unifying feature, their skull, and in particular their nasal tubes. They are predominantly found in the Southern Ocean with one species, the northern fulmar, ranging in the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
Fossils of fulmarine petrels dating back to the Upper Miocene have been found in Menorca.

Taxonomy

A multigene genetic study published in 2021 provided a genus-level phylogeny of extant genera in the family and showed that the fulmarine petrels make an apparent clade.

Species by genus

''Macronectes''

Macronectes includes:Macronectes halli, northern giant petrel, located in the southern oceans, north of the Antarctic ConvergenceMacronectes giganteus, southern giant petrel, located in the southern oceans, and southern polar region south to the pack ice

''Fulmarus''

Fulmarus includes:Fulmarus glacialis, northern fulmar, breeds in the North Atlantic, along the coast of eastern Siberia, and the Alaskan Peninsula. Ranges through the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean,

''Thalassoica''

Thalassoica includes:Thalassoica antarctica, Antarctic petrel, breeds along the Antarctic coast and on the Antarctic islands. Ranges through the southern polar region

''Daption''

Daption includes:Daption capense, Cape petrel, breeds on the circumpolar and New Zealand subantarctic islands, ranges throughout the southern polar region, and coastal waters off the west coast of South America

''Pagodroma''

Pagodroma includes:Pagodroma nivea, snow petrel, located in the southern polar region

''Pterodromoides''

Pterodromoides is a monotypic genus of extinct fulmarine petrels containing only ''Pterodromoides minoricensis''