Antarctica (NB), Argentina, Australia (B), Brazil, Chile (B), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Southern Territories (B), New Zealand, South Africa (B), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (B), Uruguay (NB).
Subantarctic, from Diego Ramírez Is, Cape Horn and South Georgia eastwards through islands of southern Indian Ocean to Macquarie I.
Blue Petrel (Halobaena caerulea) [XC590319]
by Kevin Guille from Verte Island, France (call)
Blue Petrel (Halobaena caerulea) [XC433198]
by cgemard from Archipielago Diego Ramirez, Chile (song)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds on sub-Antarctic Islands (September - March).
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Nest
A large cavity at the end of a burrow, lined with fine root-fibers, twigs, or leaves. The burrows are usually made beneath plants growing on hillsides.
Eggs (Guide)
1; white; oval; about 50 x 37 mm. Incubation: about 46 days; by both sexes.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledging in about 43 - 53 days. Fed both both parents at regular intervals but not neccassarily every night.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Similar Species
In northern part of its range in Australasian waters and the South Pacific with Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera) and Stejneger's Petrel (Pterodroma longirostris) both of which have a slightly darker grey dorsum, a blackish rump triangle, a grey or dusky tip to a wedge-shaped tail and an obvious blackish border round underwing that extends inwards over a white lining from carpal as a tapering diagonal bar.
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
More... see more information (images, calls, videos etc)
BirdLife International Species Factsheet