KERGUELEN PETREL Aphodroma brevirostris

A monotypic genus outwardly similar to several other dark petrels, but differing in skeletal and intestinal features apparently, hence its status. Although circumpolar, it is far commoner in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans than the Pacific, since that is where most breeding stations are, they do tend to disperse nearer the pack ice than some petrels. I have found them to be wary of ships, and usually solitary, hence the poor photos. The silvery underwing is a result of reflective feathering and is not always obvious, but the dark area surrounding the eye is diagnostic.


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