Black-bellied storm petrel

The black-bellied storm petrel (Fregetta tropica) is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae.

Black-bellied storm petrel
Near Cape Town, South Africa
Illustration by John Gould
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Procellariiformes
Family:	Oceanitidae
Genus:	Fregetta
Species:	F. tropica
Binomial name
Fregetta tropica (Gould, 1844)

Foraging bird off the Gold Coast, Queensland

It is found in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bouvet Island, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Madagascar, Mozambique, New Zealand, Oman, Peru, Saint Helena, São Tomé and Príncipe, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Uruguay, and Vanuatu.

Description

They are usually black with a white band over the rump and white under the wings and on the flanks. A broad black stripe runs down the center of the belly, but may be broken or absent altogether. They have long legs, so the feet can be seen beyond the tail in flight. The legs and feet are black.

They are silent mostly at sea. Noises can be heard from the breeding colonies; birds on the ground give a drawn-out shrill whistle.