Snow Petrel

Pagodroma nivea (Forster, G, 1777)

Snow Petrel, Pagodroma nivea, is a petrel of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, breeding on satellite islets, along coasts and as far as 440 km inland. It is the only species in Pagodroma and has the most southerly nesting sites of any bird. It belongs to the family Procellariidae and the order Procellariiformes. The bird was first described by G. Forster in 1777. It is a small, white fulmarine petrel with coal-black eyes, a black bill and bluish grey feet.

Order

Procellariiformes

Family

Procellariidae — Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels

Breeding range

Southern Ocean, Antarctica: satellite islets, coasts and to 440 km inland in Antarctica

Nonbreeding range

near pack-ice in Southern Ocean