Pelecanoididae is a scientific name of a family of birds also commonly known as the diving petrels. These are tiny, small birds usually found in sea water. They are especially fond of coastal sea waters. A distinguishing characteristic of the pelecanoididae family of birds is that they open their noses facing up and not ahead, as it is with majority of birds. Diving petrels are known to stay at one particular place, hence they are more of sedentary than nomadic.

Diving petrels have small sharp wings, tiny legs and petit tails. They are usually darkly colored on top and brightly colored underneath. Their beaks are diminutive and fat and their legs are positioned at the rear of their body. Diving petrels are skillful divers, hence their name. They are equally comfortable under water as they are out of water. However, during the reproduction season, they tend to spend their time in the water. Diving petrels, despite being fond of the sea, have a tendency of staying near the seashore.

These birds are commonly found on the polar Islands and also on the Islands in Australia, Southern America and New Zealand. They often make their habitats in rock openings and holes, and also within shrubs. Usually, they only go from sea to the land after dusk.

Diving petrels lay one egg which is white in colour. The incubation of the egg is done by both the male and female, each one taking turns one day at a time. This goes on for up to eight weeks. When the time to lay the egg comes, the chick remains in incubation for the initial two weeks of its life. Thereafter, roughly two months later when the chick becomes capable of flight, it starts fending for itself. For the adults, soon after the breeding season they shed their wing feathers such that they cannot fly, until such a time that the feathers have grown all over again. Diving petrels are known to grow up to adulthood quickly, usually attaining adulthood in between two and three years.

Diving petrels have been discovered to like cold sea waters, and they breed on Sea Islands. They rarely wander far off from their breeding areas. Because they dive into the water for their food, usually small fishes and other small sea animals, this is where their name is derived from. They use their wings to thrust themselves under sea to reach their food. After catching the food, they use the wings once again to propel themselves towards the surface of the sea and back to the air.

One species of diving petrels known as the Peruvian diving petrel is highly in danger of extinction because of heightened hunting and destruction of their habitat by notorious actions of human beings. For the other species of the diving petrels, the threat of extinction is not as much, and they are fairly believed to be under no big threat as the case is for the Peruvian diving petrels.