Polynesian Storm Petrel

Nesofregetta fuliginosa (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

Polynesian Storm Petrel, Nesofregetta fuliginosa, breeds in the Pacific Ocean on Vanuatu, Grande Terre in New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marquesas, the Gambier Islands and Salas y Gomez, with former breeding also recorded from Samoa and the Cook Islands. It is a seabird in the family Oceanitidae and the only member of its genus. It is notable for its marked variation, with several forms once treated separately. Identification features given for the species include a black bill, broad rounded wings, black feet, a forked tail and a zig-zag flight pattern.

Order

Procellariiformes

Family

Oceanitidae — Austral Storm Petrels

Breeding range

Pacific Ocean: Vanuatu, Grande Terre (New Caledonia), Fiji (perhaps extinct, w Polynesia), Kiribati, Marquesas, Gambier and Salas y Gomez (Easter group=Eastern Is.; e Polynesia), formerly also Samoa and Cook Is. (c, e Polynesia)