Birds diurnal

Murphy's Petrel

Pterodroma ultima

A master of the open ocean, Murphy's Petrel is a rare and mysterious seabird known for its incredible high-arcing flight and its preference for the most remote islands on Earth.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 38–41 cm (15–16 in); Wingspan: ~97 cm (38 in); Weight: ~360 g (12.7 oz)

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Colors

Uniformly dark sooty-grey plumage across the body; features a distinctively pale or whitish chin; legs and feet are pinkish-flesh colored with dark outer webs.

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Key Features

Sooty-grey plumage with a small pale chin patch
Stout, hooked black bill
Long, narrow wings built for high-arcing flight
Pinkish legs with dark-toed webbing

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern diurnal

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Peak hours Daylight hours for foraging at sea; late evening and night (8 PM - 4 AM) at nesting colonies.

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Season May through December during the breeding and nesting season.

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Diet Primarily feeds on squid, small fish, and various crustaceans seized from the ocean surface or during shallow plunges.

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Habitat Pelagic (open ocean); nests on remote, low-lying tropical and subtropical islands with rocky crevices or scrubby vegetation.

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Behavior

Murphy's Petrel is a quintessential 'gadfly petrel,' a group named for their erratic, high-speed flight patterns. They spend the vast majority of their lives far out at sea, utilizing wind currents to soar in high, rhythmic arcs that can reach 20 or 30 feet above the waves before plunging back down. They are largely solitary when foraging across the vast expanses of the South Pacific, though they occasionally congregate in areas with high concentrations of squid.

Unlike many other seabirds that are quite vocal at sea, Murphy's Petrel is generally silent until it reaches its breeding grounds. On the remote islands where they nest, they become more active at night to avoid aerial predators like frigatebirds. On land, they are somewhat clumsy, using their wings and hooked bills to help scramble over rocky terrain or through dense scrub to reach their surface-level nesting sites.

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Camera Tips

Capturing Murphy's Petrel on a trail camera is a unique challenge because they are almost never found near human habitation. If you are monitoring a coastal or island environment where they are known to nest, the best strategy is ground-level placement. Position your camera 12 to 18 inches off the ground near rocky outcrops or under the cover of low-growing shrubs. These birds are surface nesters, so they don't dig deep burrows; instead, they look for natural 'roofs' provided by vegetation or stones. Angle the camera slightly downward to ensure you catch the bird as it shuffles toward its nest site.

Because these birds are most active on land under the cover of darkness to avoid predators, high-quality infrared (IR) capabilities are non-negotiable. Use 'No-Glow' or 'Black Flash' LEDs to ensure the camera doesn't startle the bird or, more importantly, highlight the nest's location to opportunistic predators like rats or crabs. Set your camera to take short video clips (10-15 seconds) rather than just still photos. The movement of a Murphy's Petrel—a mix of a shuffle and a hop—is one of the best ways to distinguish it from other dark-plumaged petrels in low-light conditions.

For those on boats or coastal cliffs trying to capture their flight, trigger speed is the most critical setting. You need a camera capable of a sub-0.2 second trigger speed to catch them as they arc past. If your camera allows for sensitivity adjustments, set it to 'High' to detect the fast-moving heat signature of a bird against the cooler ocean background. If you are in a 'backyard' setting on a remote South Pacific island, avoid using bright white lights; instead, focus on clear paths through the brush that the birds use as 'runways' for takeoff and landing.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Murphy's Petrel.

Great-winged Petrel

Larger with a thicker bill and lacks the distinct pale chin of the Murphy's Petrel.

Kermadec Petrel

Displays white flashes on the underwings during flight, whereas Murphy's Petrel is uniformly dark underneath.

Providence Petrel

Has a bulkier appearance and more obvious pale primary feather bases visible in flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

At sea, they are most active during the day when they can use the wind for soaring and spot prey on the surface. However, at their nesting colonies on remote islands, they are strictly nocturnal to avoid being hunted by larger birds.

Murphy's Petrel cannot be attracted to a standard suburban backyard. They are pelagic birds that only come to land on specific, remote South Pacific islands. They do not visit bird feeders and are only attracted to areas with abundant squid and fish in the open ocean.

Their diet consists almost entirely of squid, supplemented by small fish and crustaceans. They are 'surface-seizers,' meaning they snatch their food from the top layer of the water while swimming or during a brief dip.

No, they are never found in suburban areas. They are oceanic birds that spend their lives thousands of miles from the mainland, only returning to uninhabited or very sparsely populated tropical islands to breed.

Look for the small, pale chin patch which is a key diagnostic feature. Unlike the Great-winged Petrel, Murphy's is slightly smaller and lacks the heavy 'masked' look, and its flight arcs are generally higher and more rhythmic.

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