Black-winged Petrel

Overview

The black-winged petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) is a small seabird in the family Procellariidae that breeds on oceanic islands in the tropical and subtropical East Pacific Ocean. For the remainder of the year, this pelagic species spends its time at sea, only returning to land for the breeding season.

Identification

• Length averages 29 cm with a wingspan of approximately 67 cm, featuring long, narrow wings.
• Small head and short black beak, with a slender body and square-cut tail.
• Pale grey cap and nape, white cheeks, and a dark grey collar; dorsal surface is pale grey.
• Upper wing surfaces are pale grey at the base but dark greyish-black on the outer edges, with white underparts and a black-and-white barred tail.

Habitat

Native to the East Pacific Ocean, this species lives out at sea and comes ashore only to breed on tropical and subtropical islands ranging from Lord Howe Island and eastern Australia to New Caledonia, New Zealand, and the Austral Islands. Outside the breeding season, it migrates further north, commonly occurring in a broad belt of ocean between Peru and Hawaii.

Diet

Feeding habits are poorly understood due to its open-ocean lifestyle, but it mostly catches prey by skimming across the surface of the sea or pattering across the water with its feet. Its diet includes cephalopods and prawns, and it sometimes associates with other Procellariiformes while fishing.

Did you know?

Nestlings on Phillip Island in the Norfolk Islands Group are occasionally preyed upon by the endemic Phillip Island centipede, yet the petrel population appears resilient to this predation. The species maintains a large global population estimated at eight to ten million individuals.