Murphy's Petrel
A species of Gadfly Petrels Scientific name : Pterodroma ultima Genus : Gadfly Petrels
Murphy's Petrel, A species of Gadfly Petrels
Botanical name: Pterodroma ultima
Genus: Gadfly Petrels
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Don Roberson 
Description
Murphy's petrel (Pterodroma ultima) is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. The bird is 15 inches in length, with a 35-inch wingspan and weigh about 13 ounces. It was described by Robert Cushman Murphy in 1949, which is the source of the species' common name. 
Size
23 - 41 cm
Nest Placement
Ground
Feeding Habits
Murphy's Petrel primarily feeds on mid-sized chicks, fish, crustaceans, and insects, often scavenging offal. It exhibits specialized hunting techniques, foraging both on the ocean surface and at depths, adapting to a varied marine diet. Its feeding behavior underscores a flexible adaptation to available food resources.
Habitat
Murphy's Petrel's natural habitat spans the vast marine and pelagic zones, typically far from mainland shores. These birds are seldom observed near land except when they converge at breeding sites, which are characteristically situated on rugged islets within tropical oceanic islands. Their expansive habitat primarily encompasses broader open ocean regions rather than the terrestrial environments sometimes visited for reproductive purposes.
Dite type
Piscivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Distribution Area
Very little is known about this species of petrel. It was not until the 1980s that it was determined that these petrels might be regular visitors far offshore of North America. It occurs in the South Pacific, nesting on rocky islets and cliffs off tropical oceanic islands in the Austral, Tuamotu, and Pitcairn island groups. The bird has been recorded off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands and well off the Pacific Coast of the United States and in the southern Gulf of Alaska. Most reports of Murphy's petrels are over 40 miles offshore and the species reportedly has one of the greatest foraging ranges of any breeding seabird
Photo By Don Roberson 
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Albatrosses and Petrels Family
Shearwaters and petrels Genus
Gadfly Petrels Species
Murphy's Petrel 
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