Sanctuary
Quiz
Correct!
All
of these birds are summer visitors to Stellwagen Bank. Most
move south for the winter, but none go as far as the Wilson's
storm petrel. During our winter (the southern hemisphere's summer)
petrels nest on islands off the southern tip of South America
and off the Antarctic continent, making them one of the world's
longest migrators. Some ornithologists also believe that petrels
are the most abundant kind of bird on the planet. Wilson's storm
petrels feed on small crustaceans in the water, appearing to
skip along the surface. The name of the family to which it belongs
(Hydrobatidae) comes from the Greek words "one who treads on
water." The word petrel may come from references to "St. Peter."
In Provincetown and elsewhere, they have also been called "Jesus
birds" for this perception of "walking on water."
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