This order comprises four families:

• Procellariidae (petrels, shearwaters)
• Hydrobatidae (northern storm petrels)
• Oceanitidae (southern storm petrels)
• Diomedeidae (albatrosses)

Genus-level phylogeny 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 (see Distribution code). Note that the four genera of Hydrobatidae recognised here may also be united in the broader genus Hydrobates. 

References/Literature

Estandía A, Chesser RT, James HF, Levy MA, Ferrer Obiol J, Bretagolle V, González-Solís J, and Welch AJ (2021), Substitution rate variation in a robust procellariiform seabird phylogeny is not solely explained by body mass, flight efficiency, population size or life history traits, bioRxiv (pdf)

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. syaa101. (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 pdf)

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)

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. (pdf)