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The Procellariidae family are a group of seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes, which also includes the Albatross family Diomedeidae, the storm-petrels Hydrobatidae, and the diving petrels Pelacanoididae.
The family Procellariidae is the main radiation of medium-sized 'true petrels', characterised by united nostrils with medium septum, and a long outer functional primary. It is dominant in the Southern Oceans, but not so in the Northern Hemisphere.
It includes:
- The fulmar group
- The huge giant petrels, genus Macronectes, which are convergent with the albatrosses.
- The fulmars, genus Fulmarus
- Antarctic Petrel, Thalassoica antarctica
- Cape Petrel, Daption capense
- Snowy Petrel, Pagodroma nivea.
- The petrel group
- The gadfly petrels. These are large and agile short-billed petrels in the genus Pterodroma.
- The four Bulweria species
- Kerguelen Petrel Lugensa brevirostris
- Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata.
- The prions, genus Pachyptila. A specialised group of six very numerous species, all southern. They have a small, fulmar-like form and filter-feed on zooplankton.
- The Blue Petrel Halobaena caerula is allied to the prions.
- The shearwaters in the genera Calonectris, Puffinus and Procellaria. The four species in the last genus are named petrels, but are genetically closer to the shearwaters.
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