Petrel and albatross or procellariiformes - it would seem that two such different names, but they both belong to the same bird species! The first name has purely poetic roots, like a harbinger of a storm sweeping over the sea like lightning, and the second one speaks of some kind of horny tubes in the nose.

But thanks to these tubes, birds petrels, typhoons and sea swallows spend most of their lives above the sea and ocean surfaces of the waters. The behavior and structure of these wonderful birds are adapted just to such conditions of existence. forced to drink sea ​​water, and then get rid of excess salts, removing their solution through their nasal glands. The tube-nosed did not fail with such a biological structure.
Most of these birds, which outwardly resemble gulls and terns, usually have narrow, sharp and very long wings, which are intended for soaring flight. The title of the longest-winged birds in the world, by the way, refers to our albatrosses - their wingspan reaches 4.5 m. The wings of our birds are so arranged that they can soar over the seas and oceans for a long time without requiring rest, and all thanks to a very strong fixation of the wing in the open state.
But three fingers pointing forward, connected by a swimming membrane, provide petrels with such a skill as swimming, and in some species diving. And everything would be fine, but .... Our birds move very poorly on land, which forces them to nest as close to the water as possible.
On the sea coasts of all continents, we can observe numerous nesting colonies, numbering more than a hundred thousand individuals!
These birds huddle on ledges of rocks, in stone gorges, in holes dug by them themselves, which they themselves lightly cover with dry grasses.

Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) are the largest representatives of the tube-nosed order (weight up to 10 kg!). Long wings allow them to soar in air currents for a very long time without any effort. The albatross bird can dive right into the sea and immediately rise to a height of 10-20 meters. And so, time after time! Albatrosses spend almost their entire lives above the ocean.
Three species of albatrosses are found in the waters of Russia, but do not nest - white-backed, dark-backed and black-footed. They can be found on the Pacific coast.
Unfortunately, white-backed albatrosses, which prefer the islands of Torishima and Senkaku in the East China Sea, were on the verge of extinction due to the fact that in the early 20th century, Japanese industrialists hunted them for feathers and down and exterminated about 5 million individuals. At the moment, their number is being restored with the help of special programs for the development of the population.

The petrel family (Procellariidae), which includes

47 species, has such a variety of an individual as a fulmar bird (Fulmarus glacialis). This is the most common type of petrel, outwardly resembling a gray gull.
They dubbed these birds silly for a reason, but for their excessive gullibility towards people (because even a bird sitting in a nest can let a person close to it). A clumsy silly on land - in the water and in the sky he behaves quite confidently, but the diver is still unimportant from him, because he does not know how to dive deep.
They have both flapping and soaring flight types, but still, in complete calm, the birds prefer to rest on the water. When the weather around is calm, they fly low over the surface of the sea, easily rising from the water, but occasionally taking a run. When the wind blows, the flight of these birds becomes undulating and swift.
Over the expanses of the open sea, our silly will prefer to fly alone, but if there is a fishing vessel nearby, then we will definitely see them in a large, numerous campaign - after all, everyone wants to get enough of easy, satisfying prey without spending much effort. Without saying a word, they fly into small flocks of goodies and rush to grab a better piece. Very often, the birds begin to quarrel, and mixed with the sound of the sea waves and the voices of the fishermen, we can easily hear their voice, which is somewhat reminiscent of a goose cackle.
Settlements of fulmars, which can number in colonies of hundreds of thousands of birds, can be found in the northern parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Birds nest on steep and high ledges of high cliffs of the coast.
The fact that the name of the species of these petrels: silly, is by no means embarrassing. If one day you see these birds, you will undoubtedly appreciate their friendliness and curiosity. The best memories of communication and observation of these wonderful inhabitants of our planet will certainly remain in your heart!

On the sea coasts of all continents, nesting colonies can be found, sometimes numbering hundreds of thousands of petrels.
These interesting birds are absolute champions in incubation of eggs (up to two months), as well as in feeding chicks (up to 6 months). The smaller the bird, the faster this complex family process takes place. In small birds, the chick is born after 6 weeks, and after a couple of months it flies out of its home nest. Both the female and the male share parental responsibilities equally.
Babies receive food from their parents on time (1-2 times a day for small species and 2-3 times a week for large birds). The very first days of their offspring, parents feed them by regurgitating stomach fat and the remains of semi-digested food. Fat is produced in the glandular stomach and turns into a kind of food supply to help in extreme conditions go without food for several days.
Chicks accumulate a sufficient amount of fat by the end of the nesting period and can sometimes weigh a third more than an adult bird.
The smallest representatives of these birds feed on all kinds of plangton and crustaceans, as well as fish and squid. However, large species of birds can afford to feast on carrion and offal from ships, which can be easily found by smell. They have a superbly developed sense of smell, which in turn is a rarity for birds.
Before the nesting time, noisy mating games come - the birds turn to each other, bow, spread their long wings, click their beaks, stretch their necks up, and with their beaks wide open, they make deafening sounds that resemble a donkey's roar. Albatrosses have very strong families, couples are formed for life.
Now we have found out that these birds are not only friendly, smart and attentive, but also very loyal. each other which also plays an important role in the animal world.

Petrel and albatross photo video

The Lesser Petrel is a bird that breeds in the North Atlantic, Ireland and Great Britain.

Also, these birds are found in the Canary and Azores. In addition, the small petrel lives in the eastern regions of the Mediterranean Sea and in North America. These birds spend winter time on the Azov and Black Seas.

The appearance of the small petrel

The small petrel in comparison with other members of the genus is small in size.

The body length of these birds is 30-38 centimeters, they weigh from 350 to 500 grams. The wingspan ranges from 76-89 centimeters.

The upper part of the body is covered with dark gray or black feathers, and the belly and chest are white plumage. The wings are dark grey, dark brown or black above and white below. The wings have a white border. The beak gives off a bluish tint, and its tip is black.

Behavior and nutrition of the small petrel

The diet consists of medium-sized fish: sprat, herring, sardines. In addition to fish, lesser petrels feed on cephalopods and crustaceans, as well as a variety of terrestrial insects.

Small petrels live for at least 50 years. Pairs of birds form for life. These birds lead the winter not only on the Black Sea, some individuals fly to Argentina and Brazil. For small petrels, it is not difficult to fly a distance of up to 10 thousand kilometers. During their life, these birds overcome about 8 million kilometers.

Small petrels feed most often in the sea, while they tend to group in small flocks. During nesting, they gather in huge colonies. During the day, lesser petrels are mostly silent, and at night they arrange a discordant choir.

reproduction

The Lesser Shearwater most often nests in burrows. The birds dig holes on their own, their length can reach up to 1 meter. If the soil is too hard and cannot be dug, then the female lays her egg in a crevice between the rocks. The clutch consists of a single white egg. The incubation period lasts approximately 2 months.

2 months after birth, the parents stop feeding the chick, and he begins an independent life. After leaving the hole, the chick goes to the sea.

Above the expanses of Antarctica, the wings of the symbol of the revolution, the petrel, cut through the air. This amazing bird since ancient times inspired poets and writers to create outstanding works. So who is a petrel? A bird that we have always associated with something formidable and unbridled?

It nests in very harsh places: on the entire coast of Antarctica, the South Shetland Islands, on the islands of South Georgia and Prince Edward.

Of course, there are nesting sites on the ground. In addition, the petrel also lives on patches of land lost in cold waters. This bird is unpretentious, and therefore can endure even very difficult conditions.

There are a huge number of representatives of this species, whose body sizes range from 15 cm to a meter. But when they say "petrel", most often they imagine a huge bird with a large wingspan.

This is a giant petrel, whose body length reaches 85-90 cm, and the wingspan is a record two meters.

At the first glance, you can see a massive head and a short, slightly curved beak. By the way, it is so hard that it allows its owner to easily bite the bones of the same penguins. If you look at the beak from the inside, then a long and flat tube is stretched along its upper arch, divided into two parts by an internal partition. These are the nasal passages.

Yes, one of the few birds that have an excellent sense of smell is the petrel. A bird cannot compete in its sharpness with dogs or pigs, but it smells of potential prey perfectly.

Powerful legs deserve special mention. A tight leathery membrane is stretched between three fingers, and the fourth is set aside and atrophied to the state of a small tubercle.

Oddly enough, but walking is not among the petrel's favorite pastimes: on land, it looks like a very fat and clumsy duck. But he swims superbly, and flies even better: there were times when these amazing creatures crossed the oceans, never even landing on sailing ships.

Nesting begins at the end of November. And again ahead of all the birds - he, the petrel. The bird does not care at all about creating at least some decent nest, hatching an egg right on the ground.

The chick is born after a long two months. Four more, both parents tirelessly care for him. A young petrel reaches sexual maturity only at 5-7 years. Given that the lifespan of this species is about half a century, 7 years is not that long.

This bird of the petrel family has earned dual fame among the sailors of past years. On the one hand, people have always admired his ability to soar in the air for days, accompanying ships. On the other hand, they were not too pleased with the extensive table of this species of birds. The fact is that petrels feed on fish, but do not refuse the corpses of seals, whales, penguins ... and people thrown ashore by waves.

Whatever it was, but it is these creatures that are one of the universally recognized symbols of the sea and related professions. Most of the species of this family are listed in the Red Book, among them is the giant petrel. A bird, whose photo allows you to verify the beauty and grandeur of this representative of the feathered world, needs human protection, otherwise future generations will not see it.

A medium-sized dark-colored petrel with a wingspan of about or slightly more than 1 m. In the field, it differs from other dark petrels of a similar size by silver-gray underwings.

On land, it moves quickly, relying on the tarsus. It swims and dives well both in flight and from the surface of the water. It rises easily from the water, often working its wings. The flight is fast and straight. In windy weather, the flight is swift and consists of high turns with alternating skidding and frequent flapping of the wings in an unbent position at the wrist. In calm weather, it flies low above the sea surface, alternating short periods of gliding with frequent wing beats.

Description

Coloring. There are no age, sex, or seasonal differences in plumage coloration. The whole body is brown-black, wings and tail are black. The underside of the body is slightly lighter. Underwings are silvery black. In some individuals, the underwings are darker and do not sharply contrast. The beak is blackish-gray, the legs are dark gray to gray-brown, the outer side is darker.

The first chick plumage is dark gray above, gray below. The beak is bluish-gray. The second chick plumage has a general brown background, somewhat lighter below.

Structure and dimensions

Wing length of males 271–312 (average 29), females 280–307 (average 30), beak of males 40–44 (average 42), females 38–44 (average 41), tarsals of males 51–58 (average 55), females 52–60 (average 56), tails of males 83–96 (average 88), females 86–92 (average 88). Weight 666–978 (average 787) g.

Moult

One molt per year. In the southern hemisphere, sexually mature individuals are in full plumage. At the end of summer, the molting of the plumage of the body begins. The main molt, including flight and tail ones, occurs in the northern hemisphere - May-August. Immature birds appear to molt earlier.

Subspecies taxonomy

monotypic appearance.

Spreading

Nesting area. It breeds in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean on the islands of Chatham, Snares, Stewart, Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes, Macquarie, as well as around the main islands of New Zealand, on small islands off the southeastern coast of Australia and Tasmania, in the South American region - on the islands of the Falkland (Malvinas), Staten, at Cape Horn and in the Strait of Magellan (Fig. 58).

Figure 58.
1 - main migration areas in the northern hemisphere, 2 - main migration areas in the southern hemisphere, 3 - nesting sites, 4 - directions and areas of northern migrations, 5 - directions and areas of southern migrations

Migrations

It makes seasonal flights to the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere during the breeding season, the bulk of gray petrels associated with breeding colonies are concentrated in areas of New Zealand, the southern coast of South America and the southeast coast of Australia. A large number of the gray petrel concentrates in the summer in the Australian-New Zealand sector of the Antarctic (up to 70 ° S). In particular, large accumulations are observed in the area of ​​the ice edge in January-March.

In the South American sector, the gray petrel also enters the waters of the Antarctic, but the migrations of Atlantic populations to the south are not widespread. Most of the birds remain in the temperate zone. The departure of the gray petrel to the northern hemisphere begins in mid-March and continues throughout April and early May. Immature individuals migrate first. In April, chicks are left and mature birds also fly north. In late April and early May, they are followed by grown-up young ones. In small numbers, the gray petrel remains to winter in the southern hemisphere, with American populations remaining in the south, apparently in greater numbers than New Zealand. From the New Zealand region, the gray petrel crosses the tropical zone of the Pacific Ocean with a wide front, where the main passage occurs between the Marshall and Marquesas Islands.

The tropical zone is overcome by the gray petrel quickly. Already at the end of the second decade of March, it appears near the Hawaiian Islands, at about the same time it begins to occur in the California region. The main mass arrives in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean in the second half of April and in May. It penetrates into the temperate zone on a broad front between Japan and the Hawaiian Islands and between the California region and the Hawaiian Islands. Off the Pacific coast of North America, birds migrating from the southwestern Pacific Ocean are joined by petrels of South American populations migrating along the eastern margin of the ocean.

In the Sea of ​​Japan, the gray petrel occurs in noticeable numbers in the northern summer only in the area of ​​the La Perouse and Sangarsky straits, as well as in the Tatar Strait. At the entrance to the La Perouse Strait, thousands of flocks sometimes accumulate, penetrating from the southern part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. There is a lot of gray petrel in the southern part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, especially between Sakhalin and Hokkaido, as well as in the South Kuril region. In the northern half of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, it is found everywhere, but in general in small quantities.

The gray petrel is numerous throughout the summer in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, but it forms significant concentrations here only at the latitude of Japan and the southern part of the Kuril Islands. Penetrates to the north to the Olyutorsky Bay. In the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, it occurs continuously from the Kuril Islands and Japan to North America. East of 170° E the number decreases, but again increases significantly off the American coast.

Migration of mature individuals to the south begins at the end of August and continues at the beginning of September. Departure of immature occurs from September to November. Some birds remain to winter in the northern hemisphere.

Through the tropical zone, the bulk of gray petrels fly in September and October between the Marshall and Marquesas Islands. In breeding areas, sexually mature individuals appear at the end of September, but the passage of immature individuals continues until December. Some of the immature individuals, bypassing the Australian-New Zealand region, immediately follow to the Antarctic.

Migrations of the gray petrel to the North Atlantic Ocean are less widespread. The passage to the north here occurs along the coast of South America. Some of the birds also migrate in the eastern part of the ocean. In the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean in the spring-summer period, i.e. in May-July, the most common gray petrel occurs off the northeast coast of North America, and in the summer-autumn period, i.e. in August-November - in the north -eastern part of the ocean. The northern border in the Atlantic rises from the southern tip of Greenland to Iceland and into the Norwegian Sea. From the North Sea it regularly penetrates into the western part of the Baltic Sea, sometimes in noticeable quantities.

habitat

The gray petrel is abundant both in coastal shelf and oceanic areas.

population

One of the most numerous sea bird species. The total number is at least 10 million individuals. Most breed in the New Zealand area. The number in the South American and especially in the Australian regions is much smaller.

reproduction

Daily activity, behavior

During the marine period of life, the gray petrel is active at any time of the day. In the nesting season on the colonies leads night image life. It breeds only colonially, forming colonies of various sizes. At sea, it keeps both scattered and in flocks from small groups to tens of thousands.

Nutrition

It feeds on squids, small fish and crustaceans. It feeds on the upper layers of the water. Willingly dives from the summer or from a position afloat. During feeding, they often gather in huge flocks and get food in a community with other seabirds.

Economic importance, protection

At the nesting sites, the local population prepares large quantities of fat chicks of the gray petrel, which are used for food. The gray petrel can be used as an indicator of productive areas and concentrations of pelagic fish. In Antarctic waters, flocks of gray petrel may indicate the presence of swarms of krill. The gray petrel is a very numerous species. Currently, it does not need special protective measures.

common petrels - seabirds that soar quickly, elegantly and easily over the water. Sometimes birds touch the waves with the tips of their long wings during their flight.
Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Length: 30-38 cm.
Wingspan: 76-89 cm.
Weight: adult birds - 375-545g, chicks - up to 645g.

BREEDING
Puberty: from 5-6 years.
Nesting period: May-September.
Carrying: 1 per season.
Number of eggs: 1.
Hatching: 47-63 days.
Feeding chicks: 62-76 days.

LIFESTYLE
Habits: migratory.
Food: small fish, cuttlefish, crustaceans.
Sounds: hoarse cooing and whistling at nesting sites.
Life span: about 10 years.

In the spring, petrels return to nesting sites located near the western coasts of England and Ireland, where they themselves once were born. Birds come from the South Atlantic Ocean, and some of them even from distant Australia.
LOCATION
Petrels can be found in many oceans as they fly from the cold subarctic waters off the coast of Iceland to the tropical seas around South America. These seabirds also appear in northern and southern parts Pacific Ocean. Petrels live in many parts of the world, but under the influence of a powerful instinct they return to their homeland, where they give life to the next generations. The long narrow wings of the petrel are designed so that the bird does not have to make much effort to fly. The petrel glides on outstretched wings supported by its jets of air.

FOOD
The petrel feeds mainly on small fish: herring, sprats and sardines, as well as cuttlefish and crustaceans. The bird hangs low above the water, fluttering its wings, then rushes to the prey, while its feet almost touch the surface of the sea. Sometimes the petrel attacks prey with high altitude and even dives into the water after it. This bird hunts more willingly at night, when plankton, and with it other animals, rises to the surface. Common petrels observe the movement of large schools of fish and follow them in the air. They spend a lot of time and effort looking for food sources, overcoming hundreds of kilometers daily for feeding.

OR DO YOU KNOW THAT...

Like other representatives of a number of tube-noses, the nostrils in the petrel open into horny tubes. Scientists believe that with their help excess salt is removed from the body, and, in addition, the nose of this form is protected from water ingress.
The petrel's legs are carried far to the end of the body. Acting like propellers, they provide the bird with rapid movement in the water. On land, the petrel feels awkward: it walks slowly, helping itself with its beak and curved wings.
Petrels form permanent pairs, but partners stay alone for most of the year. Pairs join in the spring when it is time to return to their nesting sites.
The common petrel was first described in 1586 from members of the Isle of Man population.

Underground nest Burevestnik

Fearing enemies, the petrel nests on islands near the continent, laying a single white egg in a hole at a depth of up to 90 cm. The birds dig holes themselves or occupy the empty premises of rabbits.
The petrel moves slowly and clumsily on land, so it descends to the ground and feeds the chicks only at night.

LIVING PLACE
Shearwaters breed in the British Isles, on islands in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as in New Zealand and on the coast of California. At other times of the year, birds are found in the South Atlantic Ocean, sometimes in the North Atlantic and in the Pacific Ocean.
PRESERVATION
Cats and rats brought to the islands are a great danger to nesting birds.