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Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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The gadfly petrels are seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. These medium to large petrels feed on food items picked from the ocean surface. The short, sturdy bills of the 30 species are adapted for soft prey at the surface; they have twisted intestines for digesting marine animals which have unusual biochemistries. Their complex wing and face marking are probably for interspecific recognition. These birds nest in colonies on islands and are pelagic when not breeding. One white egg is laid usually in a burrow or on open ground. They are nocturnal at the breeding colonies. Some species are: |