Other Definitions
procellariidae (dict)
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ProcellariidaeSeveral, see text. The Procellariidae family are a group of seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes, which also includes the Albatross family Diomedeidae, the storm-petrels Hydrobatidae, and the diving petrels Pelacanoididae. The family Procellariidae is the main radiation of medium-sized 'true petrels', characterised by united nostrils with medium septum, and a long outer functional primary. It is dominant in the Southern Oceans, but not so in the Northern Hemisphere. It includes: - The fulmar group
- The petrel group
- The prions, genus Pachyptila. A specialised group of six very numerous species, all southern. They have a small, fulmar-like form and filter-feed on zooplankton.
- The Blue Petrel Halobaena caerula is allied to the prions.
- The shearwaters in the genera Calonectris, Puffinus and Procellaria. The four species in the last genus are named petrels, but are genetically closer to the shearwaters.
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