Not listed
Indigenous: Parkinson's Petrel, Fulmar, Black Fulmar, Taonui
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeLarge
RarityUncommon
HabitatBreeding is now restricted to the main colony on Great Barrier Island (c. 5000 birds over summer, including approximately 1300 breeding pairs and 1000 "pre-breeders" seeking mates) and a small colony of c. 250 birds on Little Barrier Island.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from November.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Dan Lane
Range map
Range map
143approx hotspots
779approx records
1states
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
Breeds only on Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands in New Zealand. Migrates to coastal South America during nonbreeding period. Similar to White-chinned Petrel and Westland Petrel, but is smaller, with a darker-tipped, less robust bill; lacks the small white patch under the chin; and is found in northern New Zealand waters as opposed to the Cook Strait and the South Island.
Behavior
Migrates to coastal South America during nonbreeding period.
Gallery
Regional timing
New South Wales
Queensland
Victoria
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Commonly confused with
Flesh-footed ShearwaterArdenna carneipesShorter-tailed and stockier than dark-morph Wedge-tailed Shearwater (which usually has dark bill). Also compare with dark Procellaria petrels such as Parkinson’s; note overall shape and differences in bill shape and pattern. Namesake foot color is difficult to see in normal field conditions. Fairly common over much of Pacific and Indian oceans; uncommon to rare off west coast of North America. Breeds on islands off the coast of southern Australia and northern New Zealand. Not likely to be seen from land; stays further offshore.→Providence PetrelPterodroma solandriHigh-arcing flight in high winds, as in other gadfly petrel species. Similar to dark-morph Kermadec Petrel, which shows white shafts in primary feathers in the upperwings, lacking in Providence.→Soft-plumaged PetrelPterodroma mollisNote the heavy dark bill. In flight, exhibits gray underwings and gray and dark brown M-pattern on the back. The rare dark morph has dark underparts, but still retains the distinctive complete breast band, which is the most useful mark separating this species from Fea’s and Zino’s Petrels.→