Colours
Distinguishing features
The Black-winged Petrel is a small species of petrel with long, narrow wings. It has a small head and short black beak, a slender body and square-cut tail. It has a pale grey cap and nape, white cheeks and a dark grey collar. The dorsal surface of the body is pale grey and the upperside of the wings is pale grey near the base but dark greyish-black along the outer edge. The underparts are white with the outer edges of the wings black. The tail is barred in black and white. (Wikipedia)
Size
- Up to 29 cm (Length of specimen)
Wingspan
- Up to 67 cm
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
The Black-winged Petrel is a pelagic species native to the East Pacific Ocean, living out at sea and only coming to land in order to breed. Its breeding range stretches from Lord Howe Island and eastern Australia to New Caledonia, the Chatham Islands and the Austral Islands (French Polynesia) in the east. Outside the breeding season it migrates further north and most commonly occurs in a broad belt of ocean between Peru and Hawaii. (Wikipedia)
Diet
Living as it does in the open ocean, little is known of the feeding habits of the Black-winged Petrel. It mostly catches prey by skimming across the surface of the sea or pattering across the water with its feet, snatching up any suitable prey item. Its diet includes cephalopods and prawns and it sometimes associates with other members of the Procellariiformes order as it fishes. (Wikipedia)
