Grey petrel
species of bird
The grey petrel (Procellaria cinerea), also called the gray petrel, brown petrel, pediunker or grey shearwater, is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae, or petrel family. It is pelagic and occurs in the open seas of the Southern Hemisphere, mainly between 32°S and 58°S.
Taxonomy
The grey petrel was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin under the binomial name Procellaria cinerea. Gmelin's description was based on the "cinereous fulmar" that had been described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1785. The genus name is from the Latin procella meaning "storm" or "gale". The specific cinerea is from the Latin cinereus meaning "ash-grey" or "ash-coloured". The word petrel is derived from Saint Peter and the story of his walking on water. This is in reference to the petrels' habit of appearing to run on the water to take off.
The grey petrel is a member of the family Procellariidae and the order Procellariiformes. Other English names include black-tailed shearwater or petrel, brown, bulky or great grey petrel, and pediunker.
Description
The grey petrel is a large grey, white, and brown petrel.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Grey petrel” as species of bird. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of bird. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q276070. The Library of Congress control number is sh2005020048. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1789 and 1785.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Grey petrel”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Grey petrel primary sources, Grey petrel archive and Grey research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Grey petrel”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Grey petrel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.