Blue Petrel - 2018 Blue Titanium Coin

The Blue Petrel (Halobaena caerulea) is a small seabird that inhabits southern oceans. They reach about 200 grams in weight and a length of 30 cm. They have a white underside and face with a blueish grey topside.  The Blue Petrel has an extraordinary ability to produce foul smelling oil which they store in a special section of their stomach called the Proventriculus; they then eat this oil to feed themselves during long flights!

The Blue Petrel feeds primarily on krill but also eats other crustaceans, fish and squid. They catch their prey by diving into the water and can reach depths of up to 6m, but can also be found sitting on the surface and dip diving. The Blue Petrel is a pelagic bird which means that they live at sea. The only time they visit the shore is when they breed and during this time you can find the birds living in burrows in large colonies. They lay one egg which takes about 50 days to hatch and a further 55 days for the hatchling to fledge!