Grey-backed Storm Petrel
Photo © Justin Ponder
Photo © Justin Ponder — CC BY 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist #262371406The grey-backed storm petrel (Garrodia nereis) is a species of seabird in the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is monotypic within the genus Garrodia. It is found in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Falkland Islands, French Southern Territories, New Zealand, Saint Helena, South Africa, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Its natural habitat is open seas. It is highly attracted to bright lights, especially in conditions of low visibility. == Taxonomy == The genus Garrodia was created by William Alexander Forbes in 1881 and named after English zoologist Alfred Henry Garrod, while the specific descriptor is an allusion to the Nereids, the sea nymphs of Greek mythology. == Description == Grey-backed storm petrel is a small bird, 21-44 g in weight with a 39-40 cm wingspan. Like others in its family it is dark grey overall with a black head and belly, but it can be distinguished from other storm-petrels in its range by its light grey rump compared to the white rump on others. The Grey-backed petrel has a pale back, black legs, a square tail and a white belly. == Distribution == The grey-backed storm petrel has a distribution in the subantarctic in three disjunct populations…
Sea Lion Island
Sealion Island Settlement, Falkland Islands
+74 birds+3 mammals
Windswept tussock grasslands roll across volcanic terrain where Southern Ocean swells crash against rocky shores, creating one of the Falkland Islands' most dramatic wildlife theatres. This…
VIEW ISLAND & ARCHIPELAGOVolunteer Point
Stanley, Falkland Islands
+70 birds+3 mammals
Windswept grasslands meet volcanic black sand beaches where three penguin species converge in the South Atlantic's most theatrical wildlife theatre. This remote peninsula on East Falkland…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEWest Point Island
West Point, Falkland Islands
+67 birds+3 mammals
Windswept cliffs plunge dramatically into the South Atlantic, their rust-coloured rock faces sculpted by millennia of gales and spray. This northwestern outpost of the Falkland Islands…
VIEW ISLAND & ARCHIPELAGOSalisbury Plain
South Georgia, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
+33 birds+4 mammals
Where tussock grasses bow to relentless Antarctic winds and glacial meltwater carves braided channels through obsidian volcanic soil, one of Earth's most remote wildlife sanctuaries reveals…
VIEW PROTECTED LANDSCAPESt. Andrews Bay
South Georgia, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
+34 birds+6 mammals
Where windswept tundra dissolves into obsidian beaches, one of the planet's most extraordinary wildlife theaters unfolds across St. Andrews Bay. This remote corner of South Georgia…
VIEW PROTECTED LANDSCAPEFortuna Bay
Stromness, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
+37 birds+5 mammals
Where tussock grasslands sweep down to black-sand beaches and elephant seals haul out in thunderous colonies, the raw sub-Antarctic landscape reveals itself in its most dramatic…
VIEW PROTECTED LANDSCAPEPrion Island
Prince Olav Harbour, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
+36 birds+2 mammals
Windswept tussock grasslands rise sharply from boulder-strewn beaches where the Southern Ocean hurls its grey swells against black volcanic rock. This remote speck in South Georgia's…
VIEW ISLAND & ARCHIPELAGOElsehul Bay
Bird Island Station, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
+33 birds+4 mammals
Granite peaks rise sheer from the Southern Ocean, their weathered faces streaked with cascading meltwater and cloaked in tussock grass that bends beneath relentless winds. This…
VIEW PROTECTED LANDSCAPEBen Boyd National Park
Eden, Australia
+255 birds+47 mammals
Where the temperate forests of the far south coast meet towering sea cliffs, Ben Boyd National Park unveils one of New South Wales' most dramatic coastal…
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