Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels
Antarctic Petrel
Thalassoica antarctica
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels (Procellariidae)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
Overview
The Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica) is a boldly marked dark brown and white petrel, found in Antarctica, most commonly in the Ross and Weddell Seas. They eat Antarctic krill, fish, and small squid. They feed while swimming but can dive from both the surface and the air.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Diet: Krill and fish.
How to identify it
- Brown-and-white petrel with a dark head, back and forewing
- Broad white trailing edge on the wings
- Breeds on inland Antarctic cliffs
Where to see it
- Weddell Sea
- Ross Sea
Destination guides featuring this bird
Antarctica
Snow Hill Island
An Emperor Penguin colony reached by icebreaker and helicopter.
- JJanuary: Poor or no data
- FFebruary: Poor or no data
- MMarch: Poor or no data
- AApril: Poor or no data
- MMay: Poor or no data
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Best
- NNovember: Best
- DDecember: Good
Antarctica
Ross Sea
The most remote Antarctic cruise: Adélie colonies and historic huts.
- JJanuary: Best
- FFebruary: Best
- MMarch: Poor or no data
- AApril: Poor or no data
- MMay: Poor or no data
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Poor or no data
- NNovember: Poor or no data
- DDecember: Poor or no data
Similar species
- Cape Petrel
- chequered black-and-white upperparts
Range and habitat
Breeds Antarctic islets, coasts and mountains to 350 km inland; ranges Southern Ocean mostly near ice, south of Antarctic Convergence.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Antarctic petrel
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
