White-faced Storm-Petrel — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideWhite-faced Storm-Petrel

Its distinctive grey-brown dorsal side plumage makes it one of the easier petrels to identify at sea from a distance.

Spot this species Read on Wikipedia

⚠️NT: Endangered

🍃Indigenous: Frigate Petrel, Mother Carey's Chicken, White-Breasted Storm-Petrel

At a glance

FamilySouthern Storm-Petrels

SizeSmall

RarityCommon

HabitatIn terms of breeding cycles that highlight the asynchrony, at Mud Islands, the young typically fledged between late January and late February which is earlier than the fledging dates at Whero Island, New Zealand, about mid-February to early April.

Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from December to January.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by David Boyle

Range map

Occurrence window

540visible hotspots

6071visible records

3states

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

Plumage also unique; look for mostly white face with dark mask. Also note extremely long legs projecting far beyond tail and rather long, slender bill.

Behavior

Fairly common and widespread in subtropical and tropical waters across the globe, with several disjunct and subtly variable populations. Can be seen singly or in groups when feeding; rarely mixes with other species of storm-petrel.

Gallery