- Pelecanoides urinatrix
Identification
20–25 cm (7¾-9¾ in)
- Dark to black upperparts
- White underparts
- Short, rounded wings
- Stubby black bill
- Short cobalt-blue feet and legs (becoming brighter during the breeding season)
Distribution
South America, Africa, Australasia and Antarctica
South America: Chile, Argentina, Falkland Islands
Africa: South Africa
Australasia: Australia: (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria), New Zealand
Antarctica: South Georgia Island, Tristan da Cunha Islands, Prince Edward Islands and Heard Island
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 6 subspecies[1]:
- P. u. berard:
- P. u. dacunhae:
- Tristan da Cunha and Gough islands
- P. u. exsul:
- South Georgia Island east to Antipodes Islands
- P. u. urinatrix:
- Tasmania, New Zealand and islands in Bass Strait
- P. u. chathamensis:
- Chatham and Snares islands (off New Zealand)
- P. u. coppingeri:
- Southern Chile
An additional subspecies, elizabethae, is generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
Coastal waters.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of planktonic crustaceans.
Breeding
They nest in burrows or tunnels, on coastal plains and slopes on cliff edges and behind stable dunes.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Australian Government, Dept of Environment
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Common Diving Petrel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Diving_Petrel
