Austral storm petrel
Videos
Austral storm petrels, or southern storm petrels, are seabirds in the family Oceanitidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. Their flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
The white-faced storm petrel moves across the water's surface in a series of bounding leaps.
The chick of a fork-tailed storm petrel
The New Zealand storm-petrel is critically endangered and was considered extinct
Northern storm petrel
Videos
Northern storm petrels are seabirds in the genus Hydrobates in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. The family was once lumped with the similar austral storm petrels in the combined storm petrels, but have been split, as they were not closely related. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. Their flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Unusually for the Hydrobatidae, the fork-tailed storm petrel has an all-grey plumage.
The decline of the ashy storm petrel has led to it being declared an endangered species by the IUCN.