Pterodroma lessonii
The White-headed Petrel (Pterodroma lessonii) is a majestic and enigmatic seabird, belonging to the family Procellariidae, a group commonly known as gadfly petrels. This large petrel measures 40-46 cm in length with a wingspan of 109-116 cm, typically weighing 580-800 grams. Its most striking field mark is its pristine white head, which contrasts sharply with a variable dark grey cap or eye-patch, a dark grey back and upperwings, and clean white underparts. A subtle but characteristic dark 'M...
Exclusively pelagic, inhabiting the open ocean, particularly subantarctic and temperate waters; it only comes ashore to breed on remote, predator-free islands, typically nesting in burrows or rock crevices at sea level.
The primary diet consists of cephalopods (squid), which they often catch at night when the prey migrate closer to the surface, supplemented by small fish and crustaceans caught via surface-seizing or shallow dives.
White-headed Petrels are primarily nocturnal at their breeding colonies, arriving and departing under the cover of darkness to avoid predatory skuas and gulls. At sea, they are highly aerial, exhibiting an impressive high-arcing flight pattern, alternating between deep wing beats and long glides....
The White-headed Petrel has a widespread, circumpolar distribution across the Southern Ocean. It breeds exclusively on remote subantarctic islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including Kerguelen, Crozet, Macquarie, Auckland, Antipodes, and Campbell Islands. After breeding, adults and immatu...
Least Concern
- The White-headed Petrel was named after René Primevère Lesson, a French surgeon and naturalist who first described the species in 1831. - These petrels are master navigators, capable of finding their way back to the same remote island burrow across thousands of kilometers of open ocean. - They ...