Northern Giant Petrel [Macronectes halli]
Description
The Northern Giant Petrel is slightly smaller than its southern relative, with a size ranging from 80 to 95 cm and a wingspan of 150 to 210 cm. It's generally dark brown in color with a white patch on the forehead. This species is also an opportunistic feeder, preying on squid, fish, krill, and other seabirds, and scavenging carcasses. It nests in colonies on subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. This species is distinguished from the Southern Giant Petrel by its reddish-brown bill tip.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Birds
Aves
|
| Order |
Albatrosses, Petrels, and Shearwaters
Procellariiformes
|
| Family |
Shearwaters and Petrels
Procellariidae
|
| Genus |
Giant Petrels
Macronectes
|