Blue petrel

Blue petrel
In flight
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Procellariiformes
Family:	Procellariidae
Genus:	Halobaena Bonaparte, 1856
Species:	H. caerulea
Binomial name
Halobaena caerulea (Gmelin, 1789)
Synonyms
Procellaria caerulea Gmelin 1789[2] Halobaena caerulea victoriae (Mathews 1916)[2] Halobaena murphyi (Brooks 1917)[2]

The blue petrel (Halobaena caerulea) is a small seabird in the shearwater and petrel family, Procellariidae. This small petrel is the only member of the genus Halobaena, but is closely allied to the prions. It is distributed across the Southern Ocean but breeds at a few island sites, all close to the Antarctic Convergence zone.

Taxonomy

The blue petrel was first described in 1777 by the German naturalist

The blue petrel's plumage is predominantly blue-grey, with a dark "M" extending across the upperwing from wingtip to wingtip. It has a prominent black cap and white cheeks. It is white below apart from dark patches at the side of the neck. The square tail has a white tip. It has a slender black bill. It is 26–32 cm (10–13 in) in length, has a wing span of 62–71 cm (24–28 in) and weighs approximate 200 g (7.1 oz).^[11]

Distribution and habitat

The blue petrel inhabits the southern oceans ranging as far north as

In 2014 a breeding colony was discovered on Gough Island (40° S, 10° W), central South Atlantic Ocean, more than 700 km north of its known and usual breeding range. Breeding here appears to take place later than at colonies farther south, so although the discovery is recent it does not necessarily represent a recent range extension.^[12]

Behaviour

Feeding

The blue petrel feeds predominantly on

The blue petrel, like all members of the