Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE ALBATROSSES AND PETRELS

Sea-nymph

Closely allied is the pretty little Petrel known as the Sea-nymph (Garrodia nereis), which is found in the Southern Ocean from Kerguelen Island to New Zealand and the Falkland Islands, and is the only member of its genus.

It is a little more than six and one half inches long, and has the head, body, and tail bluish ashy, except the lower part of the breast and abdomen, which are white; the. tail is very dark at the tip and appears fan-shaped in flight. Of their habits as observed on Kerguelen Island, Kidder says: “

This Petrel is strictly crepuscular in habit when near its breeding place, none having been seen by daylight except when disturbed from the nest. The birds are at this season perfect balls of nearly fluid fat."

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