Giant petrel

Giant petrel
Temporal range: Pliocene[1] – recent
Southern giant petrel juvenile
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Macronectes
Richmond, 1905
Type species
Procellaria gigantea
Gmelin, 1789
Species

Macronectes giganteus
Southern giant petrel
Macronectes halli
Northern giant petrel
Macronectes tinae
Tina's giant petrel

Giant petrels form a genus, Macronectes, from the family Procellariidae, which consists of two living and one extinct species. They are the largest birds in this family. Both extant species in the genus are native to the Southern Hemisphere. Giant petrels are extremely aggressive predators and scavengers, inspiring another common name, the stinker.[2] Seamen and whalers also referred to the giant petrel as the molly-hawk, gong, glutton bird and nelly.[3] They are the only member of their family that is capable of walking on land.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference tensal2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Maynard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Davie, O. (1889). Nests and Eggs of North American Birds. Hann & Adair. p. 43.
  4. ^ "Giant Petrels". Oceanwide Expeditions. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.