Rather large, wholly dark petrel.
Not listed
Indigenous: Westland Black Petrel
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeSmall
RarityUncommon
HabitatPelagic; mostly offshore and over open ocean, occasionally seen from coastal headlands during passage.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from April.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by David Boyle
Range map
Range map
28visible hotspots
90visible 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
Often found with much commoner, but very similar White-chinned Petrel and is not easily identified unless distinct black bill tip of Westland can be seen (White-chinned has pale bill tip). Slightly smaller Parkinson’s Petrel looks very similar to Westland, but favors warmer tropical and subtropical waters and has a smaller, more rounded head and slightly slimmer bill.
Gallery
Regional timing
Victoria
Tasmania
New South Wales
Queensland
South Australia
Commonly confused with
Gray PetrelProcellaria cinereaUnderwing is dark and unmarked. Bill is pale yellowish with dark contours. Simple bicolored coloration separates this species from other petrels, and chunky proportions and stubby-billed profile distinguish it from similar-looking shearwaters.→White-headed PetrelPterodroma lessoniiCompare this bird carefully in the field→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.→