Christmas Shearwater vs Antarctic Petrel

Puffinus nativitatis compared with Thalassoica antarctica

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Christmas Shearwater Antarctic Petrel
Scientific Name Puffinus nativitatis Thalassoica antarctica
Order Procellariiformes Procellariiformes
Family Procellariidae Procellariidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length — —
Wingspan 47.1 cm (18.5 in) 59.2 cm (23.3 in)
Weight 357.5 g (12.61 oz) 658.3333333333334 g (23.22 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 1 1
Population Trend — —

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Christmas Shearwater

Least Concern

Antarctic Petrel

About These Birds

Christmas Shearwater

35 cm. All-dark sooty-brown shearwater; dark bill and feet. Breeds Christmas and Palmyra islands in central Pacific; ranges in tropical Pacific. Feeds on fish and squid. Distinguished from other dark shearwaters by small size and tropical Pacific range; Near Threatened.

Antarctic Petrel

40–46 cm, wingspan 100–110 cm. Striking chocolate-brown and white pattern; only member of its genus. Breeds solely in Antarctica on cliff ledges; among the most southerly-nesting birds. Feeds on fish and krill beneath pack ice. Returns to colonies in October; one of the most abundant Antarctic seabirds.

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