Editing Procellariiformes (section)

===Distribution and movements===
{{See also|List of Procellariiformes by population}}
The procellariiforms have a [[cosmopolitan distribution]] across the world's oceans and seas, although at the levels of family and genus there are some clear patterns. [[Antarctic petrel]]s, ''Thalassoica antarctica'', have to fly over {{convert|100|mi|km|abbr=on}} to get to the ocean from their breeding colonies in [[Antarctica]], and [[northern fulmar]]s breed on the northeastern tip of [[Greenland]], the northernmost piece of [[land]].<ref name="Double">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Double |first=D.C. |editor1-first=Michael |editor1-last= Hutchins |encyclopedia=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia |title=Procellariiformes |edition=2 |year=2003 |publisher=Gale Group |volume=8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins |location=Farmington Hills, MI |isbn=978-0-7876-5784-0 |pages=107–110}}</ref> The most cosmopolitan family is the [[Procellariidae]], which are found in tropical, temperate and polar zones of both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres, though the majority do not breed in the tropics, and half the species are restricted to southern temperate and polar regions.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/stream/worldatlasofbiod02groo#page/128/mode/2up | title=World Atlas of Biodiversity: earth's living resources in the 21st century | publisher=University of California Press | year=2002 | access-date=2 March 2013 |author1=Groombridge, Brian |author2=Jenkins, Martin D | pages=128&ndash;129 (Table 6.7)| isbn=9780520236684 }}</ref> The gadfly petrels, ''[[Pterodroma]]'', have a generally [[tropical]] and [[temperate]] distribution, whereas the [[fulmarine petrel]]s are mostly [[polar region|polar]] with some temperate species. The majority of the fulmarine petrels, along with the [[prion (bird)|prions]], are confined to the Southern Hemisphere.<ref name=Teara>{{cite web |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/petrels/page-1 |title=Petrels | publisher=Teara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |date=13 July 2012 |access-date=2 March 2013 |author=Wilson, Kerry-Jayne | pages=1–5}}</ref>

The [[storm petrel]]s are almost as widespread as the procellariids, and fall into two distinct families; the [[Oceanitidae]] have a mostly Southern Hemisphere distribution and the [[Hydrobatidae]] are found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Amongst the [[albatross]]es the majority of the family is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, feeding and nesting in cool temperate areas, although one genus, ''[[Phoebastria]]'', ranges across the north Pacific. The family is absent from the north Atlantic, although fossil records indicate they bred there once.<ref name = "olson">{{cite journal |doi=10.1073/pnas.1934576100 |last1=Olson |first1=S.L. |last2=Hearty |first2=P.J. |year=2003 |title=Probable extirpation of a breeding colony of Short-tailed Albatross (''Phoebastria albatrus'') on Bermuda by Pleistocene sea-level rise |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=100 |issue=22 |pages=12825–12829 |pmid=14566060 |pmc=240703|bibcode=2003PNAS..10012825O |doi-access=free }}</ref> Finally the [[diving petrel]]s are restricted to the Southern Hemisphere.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pelecanoididae/ |title=Pelecanoididae diving petrels |publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology |year=2012 |access-date=2 March 2013 |author=Cholewiak, Danielle}}</ref>

====Migration====

The various species within the order have a variety of [[bird migration|migration]] strategies. Some species undertake regular trans-equatorial migrations, such as the [[sooty shearwater]] which annually migrates from its breeding grounds in New Zealand and Chile to the North Pacific off [[Japan]], [[Alaska]] and California, an annual round trip of {{convert|64000|km|mi|abbr=on}}, the second longest measured annual migration of any bird.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1073/pnas.0603715103 |last1=Shaffer |first1=S.A. |last2=Tremblay |first2=Y. |last3=Weimerskirch |first3= H. |last4=Scott |first4=D. |last5=Thompson |first5=D.R. |last6=Sagar |first6=P.M. |last7=Moller |first7=H. |last8=Taylor |first8=G.A. |last9=Foley |first9=D.G. |last10=Block |first10=B.A. | first11=Costa |last11=D.P. |year=2006 |title=Migratory shearwaters integrate oceanic resources across the Pacific Ocean in an endless summer |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=103 |issue=34 |pages=12799–12802 |pmid=16908846 |pmc=1568927  |bibcode=2006PNAS..10312799S |doi-access=free }}</ref> A number of other petrel species undertake trans-equatorial migrations, including the [[Wilson's storm petrel]] and the [[Providence petrel]], but no albatrosses cross the equator, as they rely on wind assisted flight. There are other long-distance migrants within the order; [[Swinhoe's storm petrel]]s breed in the western Pacific and migrate to the western Indian Ocean,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Van Den |first1=Berg A.B. |last2=Smeenk |first2=C. |last3=Bosman |first3=C.A.W. |last4=Haase |first4=B.J.M. |last5=Van Der |first5=Niet A.M. |last6=Cadée |first6=G.C. |year=1990 |title=Barau's petrel ''Pterodroma baraui'', Jouanin's petrel ''Bulweria fallax'' and other seabirds in the northern Indian Ocean in June–July 1984 and 1985 |journal=Ardea |volume=79 |pages=1–14 |url=http://ardea.nou.nu/ardea_search3.php?key=nummer&keyin=79&k2=1 }}</ref> and [[Bonin petrel]]s nesting in [[Hawaii]] migrate to the coast of Japan during the non-breeding season.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Seto, N. W. H. |author2=O'Daniel, D. |year=1999 |chapter=Bonin Petrel (''Pterodroma hypoleuca'') |title=The Birds of North America, No. 385 |editor=Poole A. |editor2=Gill, F |publisher=The Birds of North America |location=Philadelphia, PA}}</ref>

====Navigation====

Many species in the order travel long distances over open water but return to the same nest site each year, raising the question of how they navigate so accurately.<ref name=Lockley>{{cite book |last=Lockley |first=Ronald M. |title=Animal Navigation |year=1967 |publisher=Pan Books| pages=114–117}}</ref> The Welsh naturalist [[Ronald Lockley]] carried out early research into [[animal navigation]] with the [[Manx shearwater]]s that nested on the island of [[Skokholm]]. In release experiments, a Manx shearwater flew from [[Boston]] to Skokholm, a distance of {{convert|3000|mi|km|abbr=off}} in 12{{frac|1|2}} days.<ref name=Lockley/><ref name=BirdsBritManx>Cocker, 2005. pp. 21–24</ref>
Lockley showed that when released "under a clear sky" with sun or stars visible, the shearwaters  oriented themselves and then "flew off in a direct line for Skokholm", making the journey so rapidly that they must have flown almost in a straight line. But if the sky was overcast at the time of release, the shearwaters flew around in circles "as if lost" and returned slowly or not at all, implying that they navigated using astronomical cues.<ref name=Lockley/>

Researchers have also begun investigating olfaction's role in procellariiform navigation. In a study where Cory's shearwaters were rendered anosmic with zinc sulphate, a compound which kills the surface layer of the olfactory epithelium, and released hundreds of kilometers away from their home colony at night, control birds found their way to their home nests before night was over, whereas anosmic birds did not home until the next day.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dell'Ariccia|first1=G.|last2=Bonadonna|first2=F.|date=2013-04-15|title=Back home at night or out until morning? Nycthemeral variations in homing of anosmic Cory's shearwaters in a diurnal colony|journal=Journal of Experimental Biology|language=en|volume=216|issue=8|pages=1430–1433|doi=10.1242/jeb.082826|pmid=23307801|issn=0022-0949|doi-access=free}}</ref> A similar study that released Cory's shearwaters 800&nbsp;km from their home nests, testing both magnetic and olfactory disturbances’ effects on navigation, found that anosmic birds took longer to home than magnetically disturbed or control birds.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gagliardo|first1=A.|last2=Bried|first2=J.|last3=Lambardi|first3=P.|last4=Luschi|first4=P.|last5=Wikelski|first5=M.|last6=Bonadonna|first6=F.|date=2013-08-01|title=Oceanic navigation in Cory's shearwaters: evidence for a crucial role of olfactory cues for homing after displacement|journal=Journal of Experimental Biology|language=en|volume=216|issue=15|pages=2798–2805|doi=10.1242/jeb.085738|pmid=23842626|issn=0022-0949|doi-access=free|hdl=11568/208687|hdl-access=free}}</ref>