One of the most popular features on the old version of this site was a Guide to Pelagic Birding which includes items on the basics, a list of operators, and my own modest seabird gallery. I have recently updated it and you can find it at the following link:
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Common Diving-Petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix
The Common Diving-Petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix, is one of four members of the Diving-Petrel family, all small fish eating birds found in the southern hemisphere.
It ranges widely including Australia, New Zealand, the Falklands, and the Magellanic straits of Argentina and Chile. This image was taken in the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego.
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Magellanic Diving-Petrel, Pelecanoides magellani
The Magellanic Diving-Petrel, Pelecanoides magellani, is one of four members of its family. It is similar in appearance to the Auks of the Northern Hemisphere, a case of convergent evolution fueled by the fact that both groups are ocean dwelling fish eaters.
This image was taken in the Beagle Channel, Tierra Del Fuego.
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White-chinned Petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis (with Cape Petrel in background)
The White-chinned Petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis, has almost entirely dark plumage except for the underside wing edge and a variable amount under the chin. It ranges the southern oceans with a preference for offshore waters near the continental shelves.
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Cape Petrel, Daption capense
The Cape Petrel, Daption capense, is one of the most distinctively plumaged of the Petrel family. They have also been known as the Pintato Petrel. They breed and roam widely in the southern oceans.
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Northern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis
The Northern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, is one of the most interesting members of the Petrel family. It comes in a range of morphs whose abundance is separated by geography. In the Pacific are found dark and mid-gray birds while the Atlantic tends to have whiter types.
One of the interesting features was the colonization of the island of Britain by this species. It first started nesting in the Orkney Islands in the later part of the 19th century and gradually spread until it is now a well established resident.
 Northern Fulmar, White morph, Orkney |
 Northern Fulmar, Dark morph, California |
 Northern Fulmar, Dark morph, California |
 Northern Fulmar, Gray morph, California |
 Northern Fulmar, Dark morph, California |
 Northern Fulmar, White morph, Orkney |
 Northern Fulmar, White morph nesting, Orkney |
 Northern Fulmar, Gray morph, California |
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Antarctic Giant Petrel, Macronectes giganteus
The Antarctic Giant Petrel, Macronectes giganteus , sometimes known as the Southern Giant-Petrel is a huge member of the petrel family. It is a resident of the southern and antarctic oceans and found as far south as the pack ice.
They often feed on dead carcasses and will take chicks from penguin colonies.
It is very similar to the Hall’s or Northern Giant-Petrel. It is best separated from it by the green rather than pink tip of the bill. Both species come in several color morphs.
The birds in these images are likely juveniles and were taken in Tierra del Fuego.
 Antarctic Giant Petrel, Macronectes giganteus |
 Antarctic Giant Petrel, Macronectes giganteus |
 Antarctic Giant Petrel, Macronectes giganteus |
 Antarctic Giant Petrel, Macronectes giganteus |
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Pomarine Jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus, is the largest and most common of the Jaegers found off the coast of the Carolinas. This bird was bullying a Royal Tern and successfully took his meal.
It breeds in the far north where it feeds on lemmings.
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Leach
Leach’s Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma leucorhoa, is a widespread member of the Storm-Petrel Family. They have a dark plumage with a white rump, although there are populations which have a darker rump.
They are highly pelagic and don’t normally follow ships.
It breeds on northern hemisphere islands of the Atlantic and Pacific and only returns to the nest at night.
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Audubon’s Shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri, usually has a small white spot in front of the eye and partially dark under tail coverts. See the notes for Manx Shearwater regarding the differences in these species.It is widespread in all tropical oceans.
The taxonomy of this species is not generally agreed upon. It has been listed with up to 10 subspecies, some of which have been treated as full species, such as Galapagos and Christmas Shearwater.
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