Pterodroma macroptera (A.Smith, 1840)

Nomenclature and Size

Pterodroma macroptera (A.Smith, 1840), commonly called the great-winged petrel, is a large seabird that measures 42–45 cm in body length.

Plumage and Bill Features

Its entire plumage is dark brown, with the exception of a variable white patch near the base of its black bill.

Distinction from Shearwaters

It can be distinguished from the sooty shearwater and short-tailed shearwater by its all-dark underwing, thick stubby bill, and different overall body shape and flight characteristics (jizz).

Similar Species Differences

The similar flesh-footed shearwater has a light, pinkish bill, while petrels in the genus Procellaria are larger and have a less bounding flight.

Breeding Distribution

Great-winged petrels breed in the Southern Hemisphere between 30 and 50 degrees south, with breeding colonies on Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, the Crozet Islands, the Prince Edward Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, and along the coasts of southern Australia.

Vagrant Range

It is a rare vagrant to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, United States.

Diet Composition

This species feeds mostly on squid, and to a lesser degree on fish and crustaceans.

Prey Capture Method

It typically catches prey at night by dipping and surface-seizing.

Feeding Associations

Great-winged petrels will occasionally follow whales and associate with other related bird species to feed.

Breeding Period

Breeding takes place in the southern winter, starting in April.

Nesting Habits

Nests are built either solitarily or in small colonies, located in burrows or aboveground among boulders or low vegetation.