/
Dark brown, lanky seabird, large and long-billed for a storm-petrel, with long, angular wings.
Not listed
Indigenous: Sooty Storm-Petrel
At a glance
FamilyNorthern Storm-Petrels
SizeSmall
RarityRare
HabitatCoastlines, harbours, offshore waters, estuaries, headlands, beaches, and large inland water when conditions suit.
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from January.
Range map
Range map
41visible hotspots
65visible records
1states
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
Powerful, slow flight style contrasts with swifter flight of smaller species. Somewhat resembles the larger Bulwer’s Petrel, but Matsudaira’s tail is forked, not wedge-shaped. Bright white shafts of the primary feathers give it an almost skua-like appearance, even from a distance. Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel similar but smaller, with more graceful flight style. Tristram’s Storm-Petrel also similar but lacks the primary shafts and usually has a more contrasting carpal bar.
Behavior
Breeds on southern Japanese islands and winters in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Gallery