Breeds around Antarctica, but regular migrant north to Chile, especially in winter.
Not listed
Indigenous: Fulmar, Antarctic Fulmar, Silver-Grey Petrel, Silver-Grey Fulmar, Slender-Billed Fulmar
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeLarge
RarityCommon
Habitatopen woodland, grassland, closed forest, sparse woodland, and waterbodies
Best timeMost reliable in Tasmania from June.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Santiago Imberti
Range map
Range map
28approx hotspots
12079approx records
3states
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
Note white flash in dark wing-tip, and at close range the pink bill with black tip and bluish tubenose.
Behavior
Often in groups and regularly follows ships; can be seen feeding and scavenging with giant-petrels at sewage outflows along shore of Strait of Magellan.
Gallery
Regional timing
Tasmania
Victoria
South Australia
Western Australia
New South Wales
Commonly confused with
Northern Giant-PetrelMacronectes halliJuveniles are sooty brown which fades to gray brown as they age. Widespread around Southern Oceans. Habits much like Southern Giant and the two readily associate together often following ships.→Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaNarrow wings with quick, deep wingbeats. Can be in massive flocks. Extremely similar to Short-tailed Shearwater, but Sooty is heavier and has straighter wings; also look for slightly longer bill and less rounded head. Brown plumage is reminiscent of Flesh-footed Shearwater, but Sooty is narrower-winged and has a smaller, all-dark bill.→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.→