Southern Giant Petrel
Photo: Polinova · CC BY-SA 4.0

Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels

Southern Giant Petrel

Macronectes giganteus

LCLeast Concern
Family
Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels (Procellariidae)
Order
Procellariiformes

Overview

The southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus), also known as the Antarctic giant petrel, giant fulmar, stinker, and stinkpot, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar northern giant petrel, though it overall is centered slightly further south. Adults of the two species can be distinguished by the colour of their bill-tip: greenish in the southern and reddish in the northern.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Breeds islands and coasts of Antarctica to Heard (Indian Ocean) and Macquarie islands (Australia), and off southern Chile and Argentina; ranges coasts and open water of all southern oceans and cold currents, often south of Antarctic Convergence.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.