Grey Petrel - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Absolute_beginner
South Pacific, between Easter Island and the Strait of Magellan, 11 November 2017

Identification

Length: 48–50 cm (9-9&farc12; in.)

Breeds and ranges circumpolar subantarctic seas
South America, Africa, Australasia, Antarctica
South America: Peru, south Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina
Eastern Africa: Mozambique
Southern Africa: South Africa
African Islands: Saint Helena
Australasia: Australia, Macquarie Island, New South Wales, South Australia, Kangaroo Island, Victoria, Western Australia, New Zealand, Stewart Island, Polynesia, Melanesia, Vanuatu
Pacific Islands: French Polynesia, Tuamotu Islands, Gambier Islands
Antarctica: Antarctic Ocean, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Inaccessible, Nightingale, Gough Island, Prince Edward Island, Heard Island, McDonald Islands

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Brees on sub-Antartic islands, otherwise pelagic.

Nests in burrows on islands with steep vegetated slopes.

Their diet consists almost entirely of squid and fish with the addition of crustaceans and fishy offal.

After breeding, they disperse across the Southern Ocean reaching the subtropical zone by following the cold Humboldt and Bengeula Currents.

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Avibase
Carboneras, C., Jutglar, F. & Kirwan, G.M. (2018). Grey Petrel (Procellaria cinerea). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52559 on 25 December 2018).

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Grey Petrel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey_Petrel