Great-winged Petrel
Pterodroma macroptera
The Great-winged Petrel (Pterodroma macroptera) is a rare petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrel found in 11 countries, weighing about 532 g. The great-winged petrel is a petrel living and breeding in the world's Southern Ocean.
About the Great-winged Petrel
The great-winged petrel is a petrel living and breeding in the world's Southern Ocean.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This is a large seabird, with a body length of 42–45 cm. The bird is completely dark brown except for a variable patch of white near the base of the bill, which is black. It is separated from sooty shearwater and short-tailed shearwater by the all-dark underwing, the thick, stubby bill, and different jizz. The similar flesh-footed shearwater has a light, pinkish bill. Petrels in the genus Procellaria are larger and have a less bounding flight.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Chile, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Tonga.
When to see it
The Great-winged Petrel can be seen all year round, with peak activity in December. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Great-winged Petrel?
- This is a large seabird, with a body length of 42–45 cm. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Great-winged Petrel?
- The Great-winged Petrel is a large sized bird weighing about 532 g.
- Where can you see a Great-winged Petrel?
- The Great-winged Petrel occurs in 11 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia.
- What birds look similar to a Great-winged Petrel?
- The Great-winged Petrel is most easily confused with the Black-capped Petrel, the Cook's Petrel and the Barau's Petrel.
- Is the Great-winged Petrel endangered?
- The Great-winged Petrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Great-winged Petrel for real
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