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_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

The swift-flying Galápagos Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia) is known by locals as “patapegada,” or “web-footed one.” Once lumped together with the Hawaiian Petrel into a species known as the Dark-rumped Petrel, these two seabirds were split into unique species in 2002 by the American Ornithologists Union based on differences between the two species’ vocalizations, morphology, and genetics.

With long wings and a distinctive flight pattern, the Galápagos Petrel is part of a larger group of seabirds known as “gadfly” petrels. Gadfly petrels are named for their erratic twisting and turning flight,