''Fregetta'' is a

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in the austral storm petrel family

Oceanitidae Austral storm petrels, or southern storm petrels, are seabirds in the family Oceanitidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hove ...

Taxonomy

The genus ''Fregetta'' was introduced in 1855 by the French naturalist

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857), was a French naturalist and ornithologist. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal Lucien Bonaparte. Life and career ...

. He specified the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

as ''Thalasssidroma leucogaster '' which is now considered as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

white-bellied storm petrel The white-bellied storm petrel (''Fregetta grallaria'') is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae. It is found in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Maldives, Namibia, New ...

. The genus contains four species: *

White-bellied storm petrel The white-bellied storm petrel (''Fregetta grallaria'') is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae. It is found in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Maldives, Namibia, New ...

, ''Fregetta grallaria'' *

Black-bellied storm petrel The black-bellied storm petrel (''Fregetta tropica'') is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae. It is found in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bouvet Island, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern Terri ...

, ''Fregetta tropica'' *

New Zealand storm petrel The New Zealand storm petrel (''Fregetta maoriana'') is a small seabird of the family Oceanitidae. Thought to be extinct since 1850, a series of sightings from 2003 to the present indicates the presence of a previously unknown colony. , it is ra ...

, ''Fregetta maoriana'' – formerly placed in ''

Oceanites ''Oceanites'' is a genus of seabird in the austral storm petrel family. The genus name refers to the mythical Oceanids, the three thousand daughters of Tethys. It contains the following species: * Wilson's storm petrel, ''Oceanites oceanicus'' ...

'' * New Caledonian storm petrel, ''Fregetta lineata'' – revived as a distinct species in 2022

References

Bird genera Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{procellariiformes-stub