Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
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 . The flight action is also reflected in the name Pterodroma, from Ancient Greek pteron, "wing" and dromos, "runner".
The Galápagos petrel is one of the 35 species of gadfly petrels within the family Procellariidae and order Procellariiformes. [6] This is one of the most primitive bird orders, and all of its members are collectively referred to as "petrels". [6] Taxonomically, its genus and family are extremely complex and are often subject to revision. [6]
The Fiji petrel (Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi), also known as MacGillivray's petrel, is a small, dark gadfly petrel. The Fiji petrel was originally known from one immature specimen found in 1855 on Gau Island, Fiji by naturalist John MacGillivray on board HMS Herald who took the carcass to the British Museum in London. It was rediscovered in ...
The fulmarine petrels and some tropical gadfly petrels and shearwaters are surface nesters, as are all the albatrosses. [57] Procellariiforms show high levels of philopatry, both site fidelity and natal philopatry. Natal philopatry is the tendency of an individual bird to return to its natal colony to breed, often many years after leaving the ...
The gadfly petrels and the Kerguelen petrel mainly feed at night. In so doing they can take advantage of the nocturnal migration of cephalopods and other food species towards the surface. [20] [45] The fulmarine petrels are generalists, which for the most part take many species of fish and crustacea.
A gadfly is a person who interferes with the status quo of a society or community by posing novel, potentially upsetting questions, usually directed at authorities. The term has a modern use but it was originally associated with the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates , as portrayed in Plato 's Apology when Socrates was on trial for his life .
The gadfly petrels: These are a considerable number of agile short-billed petrels in the genus Pterodroma which include the endangered Bermuda petrel (or cahow) and a considerable number of forms rendered extinct by human activity. The diving petrels: These are the four species of auk-like small petrels of the southern oceans in the genus ...
The Juan Fernández petrel (Pterodroma externa) is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae. It nests on a single island off the coast of Chile, in the Juan Fernández Archipelago . It was previously classified as a subspecies of the white-necked petrel ( Pterodroma cervicalis ), which is found in tropical waters of the Pacific and ...