Southern Giant-Petrel — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideSouthern Giant-Petrel

Giant-Petrels are known as vultures of the Southern Ocean and can scavenge with gulls at sewage outflows or with albatrosses at fishing boats; often follows ships.

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⚠️Endangered

🍃Indigenous: Vulture of the Seas, Mollymawk, Mother Carey's Sea Goose, Mother Carey's Goose, Giant Fulmar, Stinker, Sea Goose, Stinkpot, Nelly, Bone-Shaker, Glutton

At a glance

FamilyShearwaters and Petrels

SizeSmall

RarityCommon

HabitatPelagic; mostly offshore and over open ocean, occasionally seen from coastal headlands during passage.

Best timeMost reliable in Tasmania from December.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by Andrew Spencer

Range map

Occurrence window

313visible hotspots

1606visible records

5states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Very large (size of smaller albatross) with a very big pale bill that always has a diagnostic pale greenish tip. Plumage varies; most birds are dark overall or with whitish head, rarely whitish head and underparts; scarce white morph is snow-white overall with scattered black feathers.