Abstract
The genetic analysis of 23 protein loci in 15 species of Procellariiformes was made The genetic distances between the species was calculated and a dendrogram was formulated of the group. The separation of Hydrobatidae from all other taxa including Diomedeidae agrees with other precedent works. The results of the present study support the basic Procellariid classification system. However, two points still need further study. The first point is that Fulmarus diverged earlier from the Procellariids than did the Diomedeidae. The second point is the position of Puffinus pacificus which appears more closely related to the Pterodroma petrels than to other Puffinus species. These points are discussed.
