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Fairly small and very distinctively patterned petrel of cool southern waters; regular migrant north to Humboldt Current.
Not listed
Indigenous: Black-And-White Petrel, Pintado Petrel, Spotted Petrel, Pintado, Pied Petrel, Cape Fulmar, Cape Pigeon
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
HabitatCoastlines, harbours, offshore waters, estuaries, headlands, beaches, and large inland water when conditions suit.
Best timeMost reliable in Tasmania from November to December.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Mike Bell/Dave Boyle
Range map
Range map
174visible hotspots
1399visible records
4states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
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
A “professional” ship follower in the Southern Ocean, often in groups that circle a vessel for hours. Extent of white spotting on upperparts rather variable, but no other petrel has this white-spattered or “painted” pattern; pintado means painted in Spanish and is also an anagram of the genus name, Daption.
Behavior
Fairly small and very distinctively patterned petrel of cool southern waters; regular migrant north to Humboldt Current.
Gallery