Antarctic Petrel is a seabird that lives and breeds in the southern oceans, and on the Antarctic islands. Its plumage is partly brown, partly white. The head, sides, throat and back are brown.
The bill is black and the feet are yellow. It has an elongated nostril indicating a well-developed sense of smell which is an unusual feature to be found in birds. Its diet includes krill, fish, and small squid.
It is a highly social bird. They roost on icebergs in flocks that have thousands of birds. It is known for producing foul-smelling stomach oil that it uses to feed itself on long flights, feed its young via regurgitation and to spray at predators.
The movement of Antarctic petrels is generally dependant on their reproductive cycles. Breeding and nest-building take place on the coasts of these islands, and they act as the central place for foragers during the breeding period. Since the population of the female bird is more than that of the male bird, some of the females are unable to mate every season. Their breeding starts in winter; they lay their eggs towards the end of November, and then the females incubate their eggs for two months. After their eggs hatch, the parents feed the chicks, and the chicks flee the nest after around three to four months. During this time, petrel parents must be aware of the south polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) as these birds are natural predators to their eggs and young ones.
Picture Credit : Google
