Not listed
Indigenous: Parkinson's Petrel, Fulmar, Black Fulmar, Taonui
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeLarge
RarityUncommon
HabitatBreeding is now restricted to the main colony on Great Barrier Island (c. 5000 birds over summer, including approximately 1300 breeding pairs and 1000 "pre-breeders" seeking mates) and a small colony of c. 250 birds on Little Barrier Island.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from November.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Dan Lane
Range map
Range map
143approx hotspots
779approx records
1states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Breeds only on Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands in New Zealand. Migrates to coastal South America during nonbreeding period. Similar to White-chinned Petrel and Westland Petrel, but is smaller, with a darker-tipped, less robust bill; lacks the small white patch under the chin; and is found in northern New Zealand waters as opposed to the Cook Strait and the South Island.
Behavior
Migrates to coastal South America during nonbreeding period.
Gallery
Regional timing
New South Wales
Victoria
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Queensland
Commonly confused with
Buller's ShearwaterArdenna bulleriFood is caught mainly at a head's length below the surface at most, the bird either picking it up with the bill only, often out of flight, or briefly inserting the entire head, usually while swimming.→White-chinned PetrelProcellaria aequinoctialisWhite-chinned is obviously larger than dark-billed Sooty Shearwater and much smaller than giant-petrels, which have huge pale bills. Pale bill tip distinguishes White-chinned from similar Westland and Parkinson’s Petrels, which have dark bill tip.→Hutton's ShearwaterPuffinus huttoniSlightly larger and darker than the Fluttering Shearwater, with less white showing on the chin and throat.→