- Pagodroma nivea
Identification
Length 30-35cm. Wingspan 76-79cm. All-white, iris and bill black, legs grey.
Distribution
Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica, South Georgia, South Shetland, South Orkney and South Sandwich Islands.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies are recognized[1].
- P. n. nivea -- breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula and Antarctic islands (except in the Ross Sea region), north to South Georgia and Bouvetøya Islands, but intergrades at many sites with subspecies major; ranges widely in Antarctic waters
- P. n. major -- breeds on islands in the Ross Sea region (Balleny Island, Cape Adare, Cape Hallet, and possibly Scott Island); intergrades with nominate nivea at many sites, including South Orkney and South Sandwich Islands, Casey, Terre Adélie, Cape Hunter, and Cape Denison. ranges widely in Antarctic waters
Habitat
Island and inland cliffs, otherwise at sea.
Behaviour
1 white egg laid in rocky crevice in November-December. Incubation and tending of young is done by both sexes.
Its diet is mainly crustaceans, some fish and carrion.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Snow Petrel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Snow_Petrel
