The gadfly petrels are seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The gadfly petrels are named for their speedy weaving flight, as if evading horseflies. The flight action is also reflected in the genus name Pterodroma, from Ancient Greek pteron, "wing" and dromos, "runner".
These medium to large petrels feed on food items picked from the ocean surface.
The short, sturdy bills of the Pterodroma species in this group, about 35 altogether, are adapted for soft prey taken 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.
While generally wide-ranging, most Pterodroma species are confined to a single ocean basin (e.g. Atlantic), and vagrancy is not as common amongst Pterodromas as it is in some other seabird species (c.f. the Storm-Petrels Hydrobatidae).
The taxonomy of the gadfly petrels is being refined at the moment. Several genera have been split off over time, as they are closer to the procellarine and Puffinus shearwaters. Some subspecies have been raised to full species rank. The arrangement given here is traditional, but annotates the changes proposed by Austin (1998) and Bretagnolle et al. (1998). For the current taxonomy, see also Brooke (2004).
Genus Pterodroma
Pterodroma baraui, Barau's petrel (Indian Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma arminjoniana, Trindade petrel (Atlantic Ocean basin species with eccentric breeding locality in the Indian Ocean-Round Island, Mauritius)
Pterodroma heraldica, Herald petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)– recognized by the IOC and Clements. However, the SACC has not recognized the split yet.
Split from Pterodroma arminjoniana
Pterodroma externa, Juan Fernandez petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma neglecta, Kermadec petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species with eccentric breeding locality in the Indian Ocean-Round Island, Mauritius)
Pterodroma phaeopygia, Galapagos petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma sandwichensis, Hawaiian petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma atrata, Henderson petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma alba, Phoenix petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma feae, Fea's petrel (Atlantic Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma desertae, Desertas petrel (disputed) (Atlantic Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma madeira, Zino's petrel or Madeira petrel (Atlantic Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma sp., Canary Islands petrel, (prehistoric) – possibly extirpated population of extant species
Pterodroma mollis, Soft-plumaged petrel (Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and margins of Western Pacific Ocean)
Pterodroma cahow, Bermuda petrel (Atlantic Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma hasitata, Black-capped petrel (Atlantic Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma caribbaea, Jamaica petrel, (possibly extinct) (Atlantic Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma incerta, Atlantic petrel (Atlantic Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma lessonii, White-headed petrel (circumpolar in the Southern Ocean)
Pterodroma magentae, Magenta petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species, but poorly known)
Pterodroma macroptera, Great-winged petrel (Indian and Atlantic basin species)
Pterodroma gouldi, Grey-faced petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma solandri, Providence petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma ultima, Murphy's petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma cf. leucoptera, Mangareva petrel, (possibly extinct)
Pterodroma cervicalis, White-necked petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma occulta, Vanuatu petrel or Falla's petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Split from Pterodroma cervicalis
Pterodroma imberi, Imber's petrel, (extinct)
Pterodroma sp., Henderson Island petrel, (prehistoric)
Pterodroma jugabilis, O'ahu petrel, (prehistoric)
Pterodroma rupinarum, large Saint Helena petrel, (extinct)
Subgenus Cookilaria
Pterodroma cookii, Cook's petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma pycrofti, Pycroft's petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma defilippiana, De Filippi's petrel or Masatierra petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma longirostris, Stejneger's petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma nigripennis, Black-winged petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species with eccentric breeding locality in the Indian Ocean-Round Island, Mauritius)
Pterodroma axillaris, Chatham petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma hypoleuca, Bonin petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma inexpectata, Mottled petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma leucoptera, Gould's petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma brevipes, Collared petrel (Pacific Ocean basin species)
Pterodroma brevipes magnificens, may be a full species magnificent petrel Pterodroma magnificens
A Pleistocene fossil from Aldabra in the Indian Ocean was described as Pterodroma kurodai. Biogeographically, it could belong to any genus.
