Northern Giant Petrel
Giant petrels are large and look a bit like dodos when they are on the ground. There were considerable differences in plumage by age, with the young birds being dark brown and the older ones becoming lighter. They are scavengers, and someone giving a talk on the ship showed a photo of two of them with blood all over their heads after eating a dead seal. Unlike vultures who have lost their head feathers in an effort to stay clean, giant petrels can dip their bloody head into the water. When on the ground, they sometimes spread their wings and stomp around with their tail upraised in a threat posture to defend a carcass, almost like an enraged rooster. The Northern and Southern Giant Petrel can be difficult to tell apart. The best fieldmark is that the tip of the Northern's is reddish purple, while the Southern has a green tip to the bill, but this can be difficult to see from a distance. This Northern Giant Petrel was at Salisbury Plain on South Georgia Island.
Northern Giant Petrel
Giant petrels are large and look a bit like dodos when they are on the ground. There were considerable differences in plumage by age, with the young birds being dark brown and the older ones becoming lighter. They are scavengers, and someone giving a talk on the ship showed a photo of two of them with blood all over their heads after eating a dead seal. Unlike vultures who have lost their head feathers in an effort to stay clean, giant petrels can dip their bloody head into the water. When on the ground, they sometimes spread their wings and stomp around with their tail upraised in a threat posture to defend a carcass, almost like an enraged rooster. The Northern and Southern Giant Petrel can be difficult to tell apart. The best fieldmark is that the tip of the Northern's is reddish purple, while the Southern has a green tip to the bill, but this can be difficult to see from a distance. This Northern Giant Petrel was at Salisbury Plain on South Georgia Island.