Cook's petrel  (Pterodroma cookii)

Cook's petrel, named in honour of the formidable explorer Captain James Cook, is one of the smallest petrels, a group of oceanic birds that return to land only to breed. It has pale grey plumage on its crown and upperparts, and a white forehead, cheeks and underparts. A dark grey ‘M' shape can be seen across the top of the wings when extended in flight, and underneath the wings appear white with a dark tip and a dark line along the leading edge (2) (3). The bill is long and black with tubular nostrils positioned on either side. This is a feature unique to the order Procellariiformes, which enables these birds to have an exceptionally acute sense of smell, used to locate food and nest sites in the dark (4). The name petrel comes from the Latin petrellus, which literally means ‘Little Peter', after the Apostle who walked on water with Christ, and refers to the way they patter on, or hover just above, the oceans surface (5). Its call is a rather nasal kek-kek-kek, heard at night as it flies over land (6).