Bird guideGray-faced Petrel

One of the largest threats to grey-faced petrels is at breeding grounds, where they are predated on by introduced mammals such as Norway rats .

⚠️Not listed

At a glance

FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
HabitatThe largest breeding colony is found on Moutohora Island , with an estimated 95,000 breeding pairs.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from September to November.

Sounds

Sound sample
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Recorded by Jon Davies

Range map

Range map

200approx hotspots
7522approx records
2states
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

Note the gray face, chin, and throat and the stout bill. Wings long and narrow. Other dark gadfly petrels are rare off the New Zealand mainland but the similar Providence and dark-morph Kermadec Petrels have white patches on the underwing; the latter also lacks any gray on its face. The rarely-seen Kerguelen Petrel is smaller, with a shorter bill and a pale edge on the underwing.

Behavior

Forages at sea and returns after dark to burrows at coastal breeding colonies, where it gives loud repeated calls.

Regional timing

Tasmania
Peak: August81 records
Western Australia
Peak: January18 records
New South Wales
Peak: September to November909 records
Queensland
Peak: March38 records
Victoria
Peak: December to January511 records
South Australia
Peak: February to March42 records
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