Great-winged petrel

The great-winged petrel (Pterodroma macroptera) is a large seabird found across the Southern Ocean. It was once considered to include two subspecies, but the New Zealand form, the grey-faced petrel, is now recognized as a separate species following research published in 2014 and further supported in 2016.

This bird measures 42–45 cm in length. Its plumage is entirely dark brown except for a variable white patch near the base of its black bill. It can be distinguished from sooty and short-tailed shearwaters by its all-dark underwing, thick stubby bill, and different flight style. The flesh-footed shearwater has a pale pinkish bill, while petrels in the genus Procellaria are larger and fly with less of a bounding motion.

The species breeds between 30 and 50 degrees south, with colonies on Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, the Crozet Islands, the Prince Edward Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, and the southern Australian coast. It is a rare vagrant to the Pacific Ocean off California.

Great-winged petrels feed mainly on squid, with smaller amounts of fish and crustaceans. They typically catch prey at night by dipping and surface-seizing, and may follow whales or associate with other bird species while feeding. Breeding begins in April, during the southern winter. Nests are solitary or in small colonies, placed in burrows or aboveground among boulders or low vegetation.