Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea
Despite its dainty appearance, the snow petrel is one of the world’s most southerly breeding birds. This entirely white petrel nests on ice-free cliffs in and near Antarctica, to within 680 miles (1,100 km) of the South Pole. It picks food from the surface of the sea, rarely straying far from the polar ice. Flocks of snow petrels are often seen sitting on icebergs.
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- Order Procellariiformes
- Length 12–14 in (30–35 cm)
- Weight 9–16 oz (250–450 g)
- Habitat Rocky and ice-bound coasts
- Distribution Antarctica, subantarctic islands, Southern Ocean
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