Editing Procellariiformes (section)

{{short description|Order of birds}}
{{Good article}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|fossil_range = {{fossil range|Eocene|Present|earliest=Campanian}} <small>Possible [[Late Cretaceous]] record</small>
|image = Thalassarche bulleri in flight 3 - SE Tasmania.jpg
|image_caption = [[Buller's albatross]] (''Thalassarche bulleri'')
|taxon = Procellariiformes
|authority = [[Max Fürbringer|Fürbringer]], 1888
|diversity = 4 extant families, 26 genera, 147 species
|diversity_link = List of Procellariiformes
|subdivision_ranks = Families
|subdivision =
†[[Diomedeoididae]] <br/>
[[Procellariidae]] <br/>
[[Diomedeidae]] <br/>
[[Hydrobatidae]] <br/>
[[Oceanitidae]] 
}}

'''Procellariiformes''' {{IPAc-en|p|r|ɒ|s|ɛ|ˈ|l|ɛər|i|.|ᵻ|f|ɔr|m|iː|z}} is an [[order (biology)|order]] of [[seabird]]s that comprises four [[family (biology)|families]]: the [[albatross]]es, the [[Procellariidae|petrels and shearwaters]], and two families of [[storm petrel]]s. Formerly called '''Tubinares''' and still called '''tubenoses''' in English, procellariiforms are often referred to collectively as the '''[[petrel]]s''', a term that has been applied to all members of the order,<ref name ="war">Warham, J. (1996). ''The Behaviour, Population, Biology and Physiology of the Petrels''. London: Academic Press, {{ISBN|0-12-735415-8}}</ref> or more commonly all the families except the albatrosses.<ref name = "Brooke">Brooke, 2004.</ref> They are almost exclusively [[pelagic]] (feeding in the open ocean), and have a [[cosmopolitan distribution]] across the world's oceans, with the highest [[species diversity|diversity]] being around [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tennyson |first=Alan J. D. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/80016906 |title=Extinct birds of New Zealand |date=2006 |publisher=Te Papa Press |others=Paul Martinson |isbn=978-0-909010-21-8 |location=Wellington, N.Z. |pages=38 |oclc=80016906}}</ref>

Procellariiforms are [[seabird colony|colonial]], mostly nesting on remote, predator-free islands. The larger species nest on the surface, while most smaller species nest in natural cavities and [[burrow]]s. They exhibit strong [[philopatry]], returning to their natal colony to breed and returning to the same nesting site over many years. Procellariiforms are [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]] and form long-term [[pair bond]]s that are formed over several years and may last for the life of the pair. A single [[Bird egg|egg]] is laid per nesting attempt, and usually a single nesting attempt is made per year, although the larger albatrosses may only nest once every two years. Both parents participate in [[avian incubation|incubation]] and chick rearing. Incubation times are long compared to other birds, as are [[fledge|fledging]] periods. Once a chick has fledged there is no further parental care.

Procellariiforms have had a long relationship with humans. They have been important food sources for many people, and continue to be hunted as such in some parts of the world. The albatrosses in particular have been the subject of numerous cultural depictions. Procellariiforms include some of the most [[endangered species|endangered]] bird [[taxa]], with many species threatened with [[extinction]] due to [[introduced species|introduced predators]] in their breeding colonies, marine [[pollution]] and the danger of fisheries [[by-catch]]. Scientists, conservationists, fishermen, and governments around the world are working to reduce the threats posed to them, and these efforts have led to the signing of the [[Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels]], a legally binding international treaty signed in 2001.