Birds nocturnal

Grey-faced Petrel

Pterodroma gouldi

A resilient voyager of the New Zealand coastline, the Grey-faced Petrel brings the magic of the deep ocean to the rugged cliffs of the North Island. Known as the ōi, these nocturnal navigators are the winter 'ghosts' of our coastal forests.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 42–45 cm (16.5–18 in); Wingspan: 101–106 cm (40–42 in); Weight: 500–600 g (1.1–1.3 lb)

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Colors

Uniformly dark sooty-brown body with a distinct pale grey patch on the face, forehead, and chin; bill and legs are black.

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Key Features

Distinctive grey 'face mask' around the base of the bill
Short, heavy black bill with a prominent hook
Long, slender wings for effortless gliding
Nests in deep underground burrows
Nocturnal activity when visiting land

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern nocturnal

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Peak hours 9:00 PM - 3:00 AM

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Season May-December

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Diet A surface-feeder that hunts primarily at night, focusing on squid, small fish, and various crustaceans caught near the ocean surface.

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Habitat Coastal cliffs, offshore islands, and steep seaside gardens within the North Island of New Zealand.

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Behavior

The Grey-faced Petrel, or ōi, is a master of the open ocean that spends the majority of its life far out at sea. Unlike many other seabirds, they are winter breeders, returning to the North Island’s rugged coastlines and offshore islands when most other species are heading north. On land, they are exclusively nocturnal, a strategy evolved to avoid predation by larger gulls and hawks. They are famously clumsy on solid ground, using their wings and hooked bills to scramble through coastal scrub toward their underground burrows.

Socially, these birds are quite vocal at night, filling coastal forests with a range of 'si-si-si' whistles and 'o-i' calls that give them their Māori name. While they are generally wary of humans, those living in coastal communities may encounter them crashing through the canopy at dusk or landing near porch lights. They are highly faithful to their nesting sites, often returning to the exact same burrow year after year to raise a single chick with their lifelong mate.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Grey-faced Petrel on a backyard camera requires a coastal location and a bit of strategy. Because these birds nest in burrows, the best placement for your camera is low to the ground—about 30 to 50 centimeters (12-20 inches) high—pointed directly at a known burrow entrance or a clear 'landing pad' in the coastal scrub. These birds don't land with much grace; they often crash-land into the canopy and fall to the ground, so look for areas of flattened grass or cleared dirt paths under overhanging trees near cliff edges.

Since ōi are only active on land at night, a camera with high-quality infrared (no-glow) LEDs is essential to avoid startling the birds or washing out the image. Set your camera to video mode with a 15-20 second duration. This is often more rewarding than still photos, as it captures their unique 'shuffling' gait and their haunting vocalizations. Ensure your trigger speed is set to the fastest possible setting, as they can move surprisingly quickly once they find their footing and head for the safety of their burrow.

Unlike garden birds, you cannot attract petrels with food lures like seeds or suet. However, if you are working on a conservation project, some enthusiasts use solar-powered acoustic lures that play recorded petrel calls to encourage birds to investigate new nesting boxes. For the average backyard observer, the best 'lure' is simply maintaining a predator-free environment. Keeping cats indoors at night and running a backyard trapping program for rats and stoats will significantly increase the chances of petrels choosing your property as a safe haven.

Seasonality is key for your camera setup. While you might see them scouting burrows as early as March, the peak activity occurs during the winter months (June-August) and again in the late spring (October-November) when they are feeding chicks. During the mid-summer, the colonies are largely empty, so save your battery life and deploy your cameras when the winter swells start to hit the coast.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Grey-faced Petrel.

Black Petrel

The Black Petrel is slightly larger and features a pale yellow or ivory-colored bill with a dark tip, whereas the ōi has a completely black bill.

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwaters have a thinner bill and distinctive silvery-white feathers on their underwings, visible during flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

On land, Grey-faced Petrels are strictly nocturnal. They typically arrive at their coastal colonies just after dusk and depart before the first light of dawn to avoid predators like Kelp Gulls.

You cannot attract them with food, but you can make your coastal property 'petrel-friendly' by controlling predators like rats and cats, and planting native coastal species like flax and mānuka which provide cover for their burrows.

They are pelagic hunters that eat a diet of squid, bioluminescent fish, and crustaceans. They do not feed on land at all; their time ashore is dedicated entirely to breeding and resting.

They are locally common in coastal suburbs of the North Island, particularly in places like Auckland's West Coast, the Bay of Plenty, and Taranaki, provided there are steep cliffs or undisturbed slopes nearby.

The Grey-faced Petrel has a much stouter, shorter black bill and a visible pale grey patch around the face. Sooty Shearwaters are slimmer and have distinct silvery-white flashes on the underside of their wings.

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