Other Names (World)
Grey Petrel, Gray Petrel, Black-tailed Shearwater, Black-tailed Petrel, Brown Shearwater, Brown Petrel, Bulky Shearwater, Bulky Petrel, Great Grey Shearwater, Great Gray Shearwater, Great Grey Petrel, Great Gray Petrel, Nighthawk, Pediunker, Cape Dove
Rare vagrant to southern Australia. Common in Antarctic and sub-antarctic seas.
Habitat
Marine, mainly in sub-Antarctic waters including cool eastern boundary currents off southern continents, range extending into sub-tropical waters in May - September and into Antarctic waters waters in February - March. From sea-level - 350 m.
Argentina, Australia (E) (B), Chile, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (NB), French Southern Territories (B), New Zealand (B), Peru, South Africa (B), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (NB), St Helena (B), Uruguay.
Vagrant to Antarctica, Brazil (NB), Mozambique, Namibia.
Circumpolar in Southern Ocean, breeding from Tristan da Cunha and Gough I eastwards through southern Indian Ocean to Campbell and Antipodes Is.
Voice
A moan. A rattle or bleat consisting of a series of pulsed notes. A quacking uttered when disturbed in burrows. A resonent, throaty droning, 'grrrir' uttered in alarm.
Grey Petrel (Procellaria cinerea) [XC654107]
by Derren Fox from Point Gap, Chatham Island, New Zealand (song)
Grey Petrel (Procellaria cinerea) [XC310325]
by David Boyle from Gonydale, Gough Island, United Kingdom (call, song)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds at various sub-Antarctic islands, including Macquarie Island (February - September or December).
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Nest
A large chamber at the end of a burrow. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
1; not glossy, dull white; rounded-oval; 78 - 82 x 55 - 57 mm. Incubation: about 52 - 61 days; probably by both sexes.
Young
Fledge in about 110 - 120 days.
Subspecies
Formerly isolated in monospecific genus Adamastor.
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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