The taxon comprises ~143 species in four families. 

Genus-level timetree of extant Procellariiformes according to the results of Estandía et al. (2021), with the distribution of each family being indicated by the colour-code used throughout this website (Distribution code). Note that the four genera of Hydrobatidae recognised here may also be united in the broader genus Hydrobates. The divergence times are largely imaginary except for six divergence times provided by Stiller et al. (2024): Thalassarche + (((Fregetta + Oceanites) + (Hydrobates + (Fulmarus + (Calonectris + Pelecanoides)))).

Genus-level classification of extant Procellariiformes.

References

Ferrer-Obiol J, James HF, Chesser RT, Bretagnolle V, González-Solís J, Rozas J, Riutort M, and Welch AJ (2021), Integrating sequence capture and restriction site-associated DNA sequencing to resolve recent radiations of pelagic seabirds, Sys. Biol. 70, 976-996. (free pdf)

Ferrer-Obiol J, Herranz JM, Paris JR, Whiting JR, Rozas J, Riutort M, and González-Solis J (2023), Species delimitation using genomic data to resolve taxonomic uncertainties in a speciation continuum of pelagic seabirds, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 179, e:107671. (free reading)

Grosser S, Robertson F, Shepherd LD, Tennyson AJD, Miskelly CM, Taylor GA, and Robertson BC (2021), Phylogenetic affinities of the Whenua Hou Diving Petrel: implications for conservation, Emu 121, 102-112. (abstract)

Norambuena HV, Barros R, Jaramillo Á, Medrano F, Gaskin C, King T, Baird K, and Hernández CE (2024), Resolving the conflictive phylogenetic relationships of Oceanites (Oceanitidae: Procellariiformes) with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5486, 451-475. (pdf)

Sausner J, Torres-Mura JC, Robertson J, and Hertel F (2016), Ecomorphological differences in foraging and pattering behavior among storm-petrels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Auk 133, 397-414. (free pdf)

Stiller J, Feng S, Chowdhury AA, Rivas-González I, Duchêne DA, Fang Q, Deng Y, Kozlov A, Stamatakis A, Claramunt S, Nguyen JMT, Ho SYW, Faircloth BC, Haag J, Houde P, Cracraft J, Balaban M, Mai U, Chen G, Gao R, Zhou C, Xie Y, Huang Z, Cao Z, Yan Z, Ogilvie HA, Nakhleh L, Lindow B, Morel B, Fjeldså J, Hosner PA, da Fonseca RR, Petersen B, Tobias JA, Székely T, Kennedy JD, Reeve AH, Liker A, Stervander M, Antunes A, Tietze DT, Bertelsen M, Lei F, Rahbek C, Graves GR, Schierup MH, Warnow T, Braun EL, Gilbert MTP, Jarvis ED, Mirarab S, and Zhang G (2024), Complexity of avian evolution revealed by family-level genomes, Nature 629, 851-860. (preview pdf)