American Samoa (NB), Australia (B), Cook Islands (NB), Eastern Central Pacific (B) (NB), Eastern Indian Ocean (NB), French Polynesia (B), New Caledonia (B), New Zealand (NB), Niue (NB), Norfolk Island (NB), Peru (NB), Pitcairn Islands (NB), Southeast Pacific (NB), Southwest Pacific (B) (NB), Wallis and Futuna Islands (NB), Western Central Pacific (B) (NB).
Voice
A thin, cicada-like, 'zit-zit-zit-zit...' uttered in flight at night. A shrill, rapidly repeated 'peep-peep-peeoo' call. A tremulous growling 'cr-r-r-r-rrow'. Young utter a soft peeping call.
Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera) [XC461520]
by id from New South Wales, Australia (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Breeds on Cabbage Tree Island, NSW from October - May.
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Nest
In a crevice among rocks, sometimes lined with a few scraps of palm-fronds or other leaves. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
1; white; swollen-oval; about 50 x 37 mm. Incubation: about 49 days; both sexes, in shifts.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledging probably in 77 - 84 days.
Subspecies
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
leucoptera (Gould, 1844) - Breeds only on Cabbage Tree Island, New South Wales.
caledonica Imber & Jenkins, 1981 - Breeds central mountains of New Caledonia.
brevipes (Peale, 1848) - South-western. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Collared Petrel (Pterodroma brevipes).
Similar Species
Cook's Petrel (Pterodroma cookii) and Pycroft's Petrel (Pterodroma pycrofti) which have whiter underwings and much paler crowns and napes that do not contrast markedly with backs, Stejneger's Petrel (Pterodroma longirostris) which has a whiter underwing, slightly more white on the forehead, and the dark crown and nape-patch is not so black nor so large, and Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) and Chatham Petrel (Pterodroma axillaris) which have much more black on the underwing and the crown and nape are grey, not contrasting with the back and mantle.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet