North America Pelagic Trip Study List




This is a list of bird and mammal species that could be expected to occur on a pelagic boat trip in North American waters. Each common and scientific name is a link to a Google image search for that name. This provides a quick way to find images of each species (if Google's search can find them on the web). "C" indicates that the species has been found in California waters. Many nearshore bird species have not been included. Please let me know if you find this web page useful (my email address is at the bottom of the page).





Birds



Diomedeidae


Yellow-nosed Albatross

Thalassarche chlororhynchos




Shy Albatross

Thalassarche cauta

C



Black-browed Albatross

Thalassarche melanophris




Light-mantled Albatross

Phoebetria palpebrata

C



Wandering Albatross

Diomedea exulans

C



Laysan Albatross

Phoebastria immutabilis

C



Black-footed Albatross

Phoebastria nigripes

C



Short-tailed Albatross

Phoebastria albatrus

C




Procellariidae


Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

C



Great-winged Petrel

Pterodroma macroptera

C



Kermadec Petrel

Pterodroma neglecta




Herald Petrel

Pterodroma arminjoniana




Murphy's Petrel

Pterodroma ultima

C



Mottled Petrel

Pterodroma inexpectata

C



Bermuda Petrel

Pterodroma cahow




Black-capped Petrel

Pterodroma hasitata




Juan Fernandez Petrel

Pterodroma externa




Galapagos Petrel

Pterodroma phaeopygia




Hawaiian Petrel

Pterodroma sandwichensis

C



White-necked Petrel

Pterodroma cervicalis




Bonin Petrel

Pterodroma hypoleuca




Black-winged Petrel

Pterodroma nigripennis




Cook's Petrel

Pterodroma cookii

C



Stejneger's Petrel

Pterodroma longirostris

C



Bulwer's Petrel

Bulweria bulwerii

C



Jouanin's Petrel

Bulweria fallax




White-chinned Petrel

Procellaria aequinoctialis

C



Parkinson's Petrel

Procellaria parkinsoni

C



Streaked Shearwater

Calonectris leucomelas

C



Cory's Shearwater

Calonectris diomedea

C



Cape Verde Shearwater

Calonectris edwardsii




Pink-footed Shearwater

Puffinus creatopus

C



Flesh-footed Shearwater

Puffinus carneipes

C



Great Shearwater

Puffinus gravis

C



Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Puffinus pacificus

C



Buller's Shearwater

Puffinus bulleri

C



Sooty Shearwater

Puffinus griseus

C



Short-tailed Shearwater

Puffinus tenuirostris

C



Christmas Shearwater

Puffinus nativitatis




Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

C



Townsend's Shearwater

Puffinus auricularis

C



Black-vented Shearwater

Puffinus opisthomelas

C



Audubon's Shearwater

Puffinus lherminieri




Little Shearwater

Puffinus assimilis





Hydrobatidae


Wilson's Storm-Petrel

Oceanites oceanicus

C



White-faced Storm-Petrel

Pelagodroma marina




European Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates pelagicus




Black-bellied Storm-Petrel

Fregetta tropica




Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma furcata

C



Ringed Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma hornbyi

C



Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma monorhis




Leach's Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma leucorhoa

C



Ashy Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma homochroa

C



Band-rumped Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma castro




Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma tethys

C



Black Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma melania

C



Guadalupe Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma macrodactyla




Markham's Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma markhami




Tristram's Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma tristrami

C



Least Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma microsoma

C




Phaethontidae


White-tailed Tropicbird

Phaethon lepturus

C



Red-billed Tropicbird

Phaethon aethereus

C



Red-tailed Tropicbird

Phaethon rubricauda

C




Fregatidae


Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

C



Great Frigatebird

Fregata minor

C



Lesser Frigatebird

Fregata ariel

C




Sulidae


Masked Booby

Sula dactylatra

C



Nazca Booby

Sula granti




Blue-footed Booby

Sula nebouxii

C



Peruvian Booby

Sula variegata




Brown Booby

Sula leucogaster

C



Red-footed Booby

Sula sula

C



Northern Gannet

Morus bassanus





Phalacrocoracidae


Brandt's Cormorant

Phalacrocorax penicillatus

C



Neotropic Cormorant

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

C



Double-crested Cormorant

Phalacrocorax auritus

C



Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo




Red-faced Cormorant

Phalacrocorax urile




Pelagic Cormorant

Phalacrocorax pelagicus

C




Pelecanidae


Brown Pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis

C




Scolopacidae


Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

C



Red Phalarope

Phalaropus fulicarius

C




Laridae


Swallow-tailed Gull

Creagrus furcatus

C



Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

C



Red-legged Kittiwake

Rissa brevirostris

C



Sabine's Gull

Xema sabini

C



Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

C



Little Gull

Hydrocoloeus minutus

C



Black-tailed Gull

Larus crassirostris

C



Brown Noddy

Anous stolidus




Black Noddy

Anous minutus




Blue-gray Noddy

Procelsterna cerulea




Sooty Tern

Onychoprion fuscatus

C



Bridled Tern

Onychoprion anaethetus

C



Aleutian Tern

Onychoprion aleuticus




Roseate Tern

Sterna dougallii




Common Tern

Sterna hirundo

C



Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaea

C



Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteri

C




Stercorariidae


Great Skua

Stercorarius skua




South Polar Skua

Stercorarius maccormicki

C



Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

C



Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

C



Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

C




Alcidae


Dovekie

Alle alle




Common Murre

Uria aalge

C



Thick-billed Murre

Uria lomvia

C



Razorbill

Alca torda




Great Auk

Pinguinus impennis




Black Guillemot

Cepphus grylle




Pigeon Guillemot

Cepphus columba

C



Long-billed Murrelet

Brachyramphus perdix

C



Marbled Murrelet

Brachyramphus marmoratus

C



Kittlitz's Murrelet

Brachyramphus brevirostris

C



Xantus's Murrelet

Synthliboramphus hypoleucus

C



Craveri's Murrelet

Synthliboramphus craveri

C



Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

C



Cassin's Auklet

Ptychoramphus aleuticus

C



Parakeet Auklet

Aethia psittacula

C



Least Auklet

Aethia pusilla

C



Whiskered Auklet

Aethia pygmaea




Crested Auklet

Aethia cristatella

C



Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

C



Atlantic Puffin

Fratercula arctica




Horned Puffin

Fratercula corniculata

C



Tufted Puffin

Fratercula cirrhata

C






Mammals



Trichechidae


West Indian Manatee

Trichechus manatus





Mustelidae


Sea Otter

Enhydra lutris

C




Odobenidae


Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus





Otariidae


Northern Fur Seal

Callorhinus ursinus

C



Guadalupe Fur Seal

Arctocephalus townsendii

C



Steller's Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

C



California Sea Lion

Zalophus californicus

C




Phocidae


Harbor Seal

Phoca vitulina

C



Largha Seal

Phoca largha




Ringed Seal

Phoca hispida

C



Harp Seal

Pagophilus groenlandicus




Ribbon Seal

Histriophoca fasciata

C



Gray Seal

Halichoerus grypus




Hooded Seal

Cystophora cristata




Bearded Seal

Erignathus barbatus




Northern Elephant Seal

Mirounga angustirostris

C




Monodontidae


Narwhal

Monodon monoceros




Beluga

Delphinapterus leucas





Delphinidae


Rough-toothed Dolphin

Steno bredanensis

C



Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncates

C



Pantropical Spotted Dolphin

Stenella attenuata

C



Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

Stenella frontalis




Spinner Dolphin

Stenella longirostris




Clymene Dolphin

Stenella clymene




Striped Dolphin

Stenella coeruleoalba

C



Fraser's Dolphin

Lagenodelphis hosei




Short-beaked Common Dolphin

Delphinus delphis

C



Long-beaked Common Dolphin

Delphinus capensis

C



White-beaked Dolphin

Lagenorhynchus albirostris




Atlantic White-sided Dolphin

Lagenorhynchus acutus




Pacific White-sided Dolphin

Lagenorhynchus obliquidens

C



Northern Right Whale Dolphin

Lissodelphis borealis

C



Risso's Dolphin

Grampus griseus

C



Melon-headed Dolphin

Peponocephala electra




Pygmy Killer Whale

Feresa attenuata




False Killer Whale

Pseudorca crassidens

C



Killer Whale

Orcinus orca

C



Short-finned Pilot Whale

Globicephala macrorhynchus

C



Long-finned Pilot Whale

Globicephala melas





Phocoenidae


Harbor Porpoise

Phocoena phocoena

C



Dall's Porpoise

Phocoenoides dalli

C




Ziphiidae


Cuvier's Beaked Whale

Ziphius cavirostris

C



Baird's Beaked Whale

Berardius bairdii

C



Northern Bottlenose Whale

Hyperoodon ampullatus




Longman's Beaked Whale

Indopacetus pacificus




Perrin's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon perrini




True's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon mirus




Gervais's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon europaeus




Sowerby's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon bidens




Pygmy Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon peruvianus




Hubb's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon carlhubbsi

C



Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon ginkgodens

C



Blainville's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon densirostris

C



Stejneger's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon stejnegeri

C




Physeteridae


Sperm Whale

Physeter macrocephalus

C



Pygmy Sperm Whale

Kogia breviceps

C



Dwarf Sperm Whale

Kogia simus

C




Balaenidae


Northern Atlantic Right Whale

Eubalaena glacialis




North Pacific Right Whale

Eubalaena japonica

C



Bowhead Whale

Balaena mysticetus





Eschrichtiidae


Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

C




Balaenopteridae


Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus

C



Fin Whale

Balaenoptera physalus

C



Sei Whale

Balaenoptera borealis

C



Minke Whale

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

C



Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

C





Alan Wight
Sonoma County, California
Email:  shwand@sonic.net