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Wilson's Storm-petrel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Oceanites
Species: oceanicus
Binomial name
Oceanites oceanicus
Kuhl, 1820

The Wilson's Storm-petrel or Wilson's Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae.

It breeds on the Antarctic coastlines and nearby islands such as the South Shetland Islands. It nests in colonies close to the sea in rock crevices and lays a single white egg.

It spends the rest of the year at sea, and moves into the northern oceans in the southern hemisphere's winter. It is much more common in the north Atlantic than the Pacific.

It is strictly pelagic outside the breeding season, and this, together with its remote breeding sites, makes Wilson's Petrel a difficult bird to see from land. Only in severe storms might this species be pushed into headlands.

It is common off eastern North AmericaNorth America is the third largest continent in area and the fourth ranked in population. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocea in the northern summer and the seasonal abundance of this bird in suitable EuropeFor the band of the same name, see Europe (band . Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sean waters has been revealed through pelagic boat trips, most notably in the area of the Isles of ScillyThe Isles of Scilly are an archipelago of islands off the English coast. Forming part of England, they have their own local government in the form of a unitary authority and have also been designated the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Great BritainGreat Britain (often abbreviated as Britain is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom. Great Britain is also used as a political term describing the combination of England, Scotland, and Wales,.

This storm-petrel is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gullPagophila ''Larus ''Rissa ''Creagus ''Xema ''Rhodostethia Gulls are seabirds in the family Laridae and subfamily Lari. They are closely related to the terns, and more distantly to the waders, auks and skimmers. Most gulls belong to the large genus Larus''s and skuaSkuas Pomarine Skua : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Charadriiformes Stercorariidae Genera Stercorarius Catharacta The skuas are seabirds in the family Stercorariidae . The smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America. Skuas nest on the ground in tempes, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow.

The Wilson's Petrel is a small bird, slightly larger than the European Storm-petrel. It is essentially dark brown in all plumages, except for white rump. It differs from the commoner species by its pale bar on the upper wing, plain underwings and longer legs.

It has a more direct gliding flight than Storm Petrel, but shares the habit of pattering on the water surface as it picks planktonic food items from the ocean surface, though with more upraised wings. Like European Storm-petrel, it is highly gregarious, and will also follow ships.

This bird is named after the Scottish-American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.



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