Birds nocturnal

Black-winged Petrel

Pterodroma nigripennis

A high-flying acrobat of the Pacific, the Black-winged Petrel spends its life chasing the waves before returning to secret island burrows under the cover of darkness. Its striking black-and-white wing patterns make it one of the most beautiful and elusive seabirds for coastal observers to track.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 29–31 cm (11–12 in); Wingspan: 63–71 cm (25–28 in); Weight: 140–200 g (5–7 oz)

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Colors

Pale grey upperparts, white underparts with distinctive bold black borders on the underwings; white face with a dark eye patch.

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Key Features

Bold black margins and diagonal bar on underwing
Stout black hooked bill
Pale grey 'M' pattern across the wings and back
High, banking 'gadfly' flight style

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern nocturnal

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Peak hours 9 PM - 3 AM (on land); Diurnal and nocturnal at sea

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Season October - May (Breeding season in the South Pacific)

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Diet Primarily squid and small fish, which they snatch from the ocean surface or catch during shallow plunges while foraging at sea.

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Habitat Open tropical and subtropical oceans; nests in burrows on grassy slopes or forested ridges of oceanic islands.

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Behavior

The Black-winged Petrel is a true master of the air, spending the vast majority of its life over the open ocean. They are famous for their 'gadfly' flight—a series of high, sweeping arcs and rapid, erratic changes in direction that allow them to cover massive distances with minimal effort. While at sea, they are relatively solitary, but they become highly social and vocal during the breeding season when they congregate in large colonies on remote islands.

On land, these birds are strictly nocturnal to avoid being spotted by predators like gulls or skuas. They arrive at their nesting sites after dusk, filling the air with high-pitched whistling calls. Because their legs are positioned far back on their bodies for swimming, they are quite clumsy on land, often 'crashing' into vegetation near their burrows and scuttling quickly underground. They generally ignore humans but are highly sensitive to artificial light and ground predators.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Black-winged Petrel on camera is a specialized challenge because they only come to land at night and typically inhabit remote coastal islands. If you are lucky enough to live near a breeding colony, place your camera just 6 to 12 inches off the ground, aimed at the entrance of a known burrow. Because these birds move surprisingly fast once they hit the ground, use a camera with a trigger speed of 0.2 seconds or faster to ensure you don't just catch a blurry tail feather.

Lighting is the most critical factor. You must use 'No-Glow' or 'Black Flash' infrared LEDs. Standard red-glow LEDs can disorient the birds or attract invasive predators like rats and cats to the burrow site. Set your camera to take short video clips (10-15 seconds) rather than still photos; the video will better capture their unique waddling gait and the vocalizations that are a hallmark of colony life. Use a high ISO setting if available to pull in more detail from the dark surroundings.

Avoid using any food lures or 'chumming' near the camera. Petrels are not attracted to birdseed, and scent-based lures will only attract predators that could harm the nesting pair. Instead, focus on placement near 'take-off' points—often high, wind-exposed ridges or rocks where the birds climb to get enough lift for flight. If you are monitoring a burrow, check the camera during the day to minimize disturbance, as these birds are easily spooked by nighttime activity near their homes.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Black-winged Petrel.

Cook's Petrel

Cook's has a paler underwing with much less black along the margins and a slightly more slender bill.

Mottled Petrel

Mottled Petrels feature a distinct dark grey patch on the belly, which is pure white on the Black-winged Petrel.

Pycroft's Petrel

Nearly identical but slightly smaller; the Black-winged has a more pronounced dark 'wrist' mark on the underwing.

Frequently Asked Questions

When they are on land for breeding, Black-winged Petrel are strictly nocturnal, arriving at their colonies after sunset and departing before dawn. At sea, they can be seen foraging during both day and night.

Unless your backyard is on a specific Pacific island within their breeding range, you cannot attract them. For those in breeding zones, the best way to help is by removing invasive predators and minimizing artificial outdoor lighting at night.

Their diet consists almost entirely of cephalopods (squid) and small surface-dwelling fish, which they catch by skimming the water or making shallow dives.

No, they are pelagic seabirds. They are never found in suburban environments unless they are 'storm-blown' birds that have been forced inland by severe weather, in which case they require immediate veterinary care.

Look at the underwing. The Black-winged Petrel has a very bold, thick black margin and a prominent diagonal bar, whereas the Cook's Petrel has much narrower, fainter dark edges on the underwing.

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