Birds nocturnal

Bonin Petrel

Pterodroma hypoleuca

The ghost of the Pacific islands, the Bonin Petrel is a nocturnal voyager that transforms remote atolls into bustling underground cities every winter. Known for its acrobatic flight and haunting calls, this small seabird is a hidden gem of the northwestern Pacific.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length 30 cm (12 in), wingspan 67 cm (26 in), weight 170–200 g (6–7 oz)

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Colors

Pale gray upperparts with a prominent dark 'M' pattern across the wings; stark white underparts, forehead, and face; blackish cap and eye patch; dark bill.

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Key Features

Distinctive dark 'M' pattern across the upper wings
White underwings with narrow dark margins
Small, hooked black bill
Nocturnal arrival at nesting sites

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern nocturnal

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Peak hours 9 PM - 4 AM

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Season January-June

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Diet A specialized surface-feeder that primarily hunts squid and small mesopelagic fish, often seizing prey from the water's surface while hovering or during short, shallow dives.

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Habitat Breeds on remote sandy islands and atolls with low vegetation; spends the non-breeding season over the open waters of the northwest Pacific Ocean.

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Behavior

The Bonin Petrel is a master of the open ocean, belonging to the group known as 'gadfly petrels' for their erratic, high-speed flight patterns. They spend the vast majority of their lives at sea, returning to land only to breed. Because they are vulnerable to predators like frigatebirds and gulls, they have evolved a strictly nocturnal schedule when visiting their colonies. They arrive after sunset and depart before dawn, often filling the night air with a chorus of moans and growls that earned them the Hawaiian name 'nunulu.'

On land, these birds are surprisingly industrious excavators. They use their feet and bills to dig long, winding burrows in sandy soil, sometimes over a meter deep. Within these underground chambers, they exhibit strong social bonds, typically returning to the same mate and the same burrow year after year. Despite their secretive nature, they are highly social within their colonies, which can number in the hundreds of thousands on remote atolls.

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Camera Tips

Capturing the Bonin Petrel on camera is a rewarding challenge because they are almost never seen on land during daylight. To see them, you must focus on their nesting sites during the winter and spring breeding season. Position your camera just a few inches off the ground, facing a known burrow entrance. These birds are clumsy on land and will often land several feet away from their hole and scuttle toward it, so a wide-angle lens is better than a tight zoom for capturing their approach.

Since they only appear at night, infrared (IR) capability is non-negotiable. Use a camera with a 'no-glow' flash to avoid startling the birds or attracting unwanted predators like crabs or invasive rodents. Because the birds move quickly when landing and scurrying, set your trigger speed to the fastest possible setting (0.2 seconds or less) and use a high-frame-rate video mode to capture the detail of their 'M' wing markings as they descend.

If you are in a location where they are known to nest, you can sometimes trigger activity by using social attraction techniques. If legal in your area, playing audio recordings of their distinct calls can encourage birds to land closer to your setup. Ensure your camera is well-anchored in the sand, as these petrels are surprisingly strong and can inadvertently knock over lightweight gear while digging or fighting over burrow space.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Bonin Petrel.

Black-winged Petrel

The Black-winged Petrel has much broader dark margins on the underside of its wings and a darker face compared to the Bonin's white forehead.

Mottled Petrel

Mottled Petrels are larger and have a distinct dark patch on their belly, which is entirely white on the Bonin Petrel.

Frequently Asked Questions

When on land at their breeding colonies, Bonin Petrels are strictly nocturnal. They arrive from the ocean shortly after sunset and return to the sea before the first light of dawn to avoid aerial predators.

Unless you live on a remote Pacific island like Midway Atoll or the Ogasawara chain, you likely won't see them in a typical backyard. On these islands, maintaining sandy, invasive-species-free soil and reducing light pollution are the best ways to support them.

They are carnivores that hunt at sea, primarily eating squid, small fish, and occasionally crustaceans. They often follow schools of larger predatory fish like tuna, which push smaller prey to the surface.

No, they are highly specialized seabirds. They are never found in suburban or inland areas, as they require remote, predator-free islands for nesting and the open ocean for foraging.

Look for the dark 'M' pattern across the gray upperparts and the very clean, white face. Compared to the Black-winged Petrel, the Bonin Petrel has much whiter underwings with only a very thin dark border.

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