Birds
AUSTRALASIAN Temperate Ocean
Class Aves: Birds
Order Charadriiformes
Family Laridae: Terns & Gulls
(Rottnest Island, Australia)Thalasseus bergii, 'Crested Tern'.
Larus pacificus, “Pacific Gull’. Large gull with a very large and thick bill, and ‘red lipstick’. More or less endemic to southern Australian coast.
Family Spheniscidae: Penguins
(Fiordland, New Zealand)Eudyptes pachyrhynchus, 'Fiordland (Crested) Penguin'. Breeding endemic to New Zealand.
Order Procellariiformes; 'the tubenoses'
This order includes the Albatross & Mollymawks, Storm Petrels, Prions, and all the other petrels.
They are distinguished by their nostrils being enclosed in a tube that runs along the bill.
They include the largest of all flying birds; the Great Albatross reach wingspans of 3.6 metres
(Off south-west coast of Tasmania)Thalassarche cauta, 'Shy/White-capped Albatross'/Mollymawk'. Yellow tip to bill. Light grey on the side of the face produce a subtle white cap. A breeding endemic to southern Australasia, nesting on only three islands off the coast of Tasmania and four islands off New Zealand, but can be seen at sea around colder temperate southern oceans of planet. The species is sometimes split into the Shy 'Tasmanian' Albatross and the NZ White-capped Mollymawk.
(Tasmania)Thalassarche chrysostoma, 'Grey-headed Albatross'.
Family Procellariidae: Prions, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels and various Petrels
(Mercury, New Zealand)Pterodroma gouldi, 'Grey-faced Petrel'. Breeding endemic to north island of New Zealand.
Pachyptila spp. 'Prions'
(on board Oceanic Discoverer in New Zealand)Pachyptila vittata, 'Broad-billed Prion'. The largest of the prions, with the widest bill. Found at sea around the cooler southern oceans, sometimes ends up on ships.
(on board Coral Discoverer off south-west Tasmania)Pachyptila turtur, 'Fairy Prion'. The smallest of the prions. Found at sea around the cooler southern oceans, sometimes ends up on ships.
Pelecanoides spp., 'Diving Petrels'
(off Tasmania)Pelecanoides urinatrix, 'Common Diving Petrel'. A tiny seabird that 'flies through waves'. I think Diving Petrels are potatoes with hummingbird wings. Because they only seen in colder oceans usually remote from humans, they are not commonly seen or known by most people. Because they are so small and fast, they are hard to photograph, and indeed even see.
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