About the Antarctic Petrel
The Antarctic petrel is a boldly marked dark brown and white petrel, found in Antarctica, most commonly in the Ross and Weddell Seas. They eat Antarctic krill, fish, and small squid. They feed while swimming but can dive from both the surface and the air.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The adult Antarctic petrel has a brown head, sides, throat, and back. The bill is dark brown and the feet are grey. The underparts are white and their tail and secondaries on the wings are white with brown tips. These are medium-sized relative to other petrels with a wingspan of 100–110 cm (39–43 in), a length of 40–45 cm (16–18 in), and an average weight of 675 g (23.8 oz).
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Australia, New Zealand, Chile.
When to see it
Peak activity in December · a summer visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
South Georgia Diving PetrelPelecanoides georgicusThe South Georgia diving petrel is a small, plump petrel, 180 to 220 mm (7.1–8.7 in) in length and weighing around 90 to 150 g (3.2–5.3 oz).
Snow PetrelPagodroma niveaThe snow petrel is a small, pure white fulmarine petrel with coal-black eyes, a small black bill and bluish gray feet.
Learn the Antarctic Petrel for real
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