Southern Giant-Petrel (Macronectes giganteus)

Order: Procellariformes | Family: Procellariidae | IUCN Status: Least Concern

southern_giant_petrel
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Antarctica

southern_giant_petrel
Age: Juvenile | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Off the coast of Ilo

southern_giant_petrel
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Cape Town S. Africa

southern_giant_petrel
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Various


Identification & Behavior: ~87 cm (34.2 in). The Southern Giant-Petrel has multiple plumage stages. The juvenile can be black or white. Black juveniles undergo a series of plumage stages to attain the brown freckled with white streaks of the adult. White juveniles stay white with brown specks. The large, thick, and patterned bill is unmistakable.  It forages in pelagic waters. It is very similar to the Northern Giant Petrel but is it distinguished by a reddish tip of the bill (nail), which is very difficult to observe in the field.

Status: The Southern Giant-Petrel is a rare non-breeding pelagic visitor generally found on the southern half of Peru. It also occurs in Br and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Petrel Gigante Sureño.

Sub-species: Southern Giant-Petrel (Macronectes giganteus), (J. F. Gmelin), 1789.

Meaning of Name: Macronectes: Gr macros= great and nektes, nekho= swimmer, to swim. giganteus: L. giganteus= gigantic, giant.

See more of the Family Procellariidae  peru aves

Distribution Mapsouthern giant petrel
Voice
Generally silent at sea.


References:

    • Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum.  http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 03/01/2017.