Bulwer's Petrel

Bulweria bulwerii (Jardine & Selby, 1828)

25–29 cmLength84 cmWingspan99 gWeight

This pelagic seabird has very long wings, mainly rufous plumage and a slender, pointed tail.

Busiest months: July · Most records: China, Cape Verde, Spain

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Wings very long, wingspan 78–90 cm
Plumage mainly rufous
Tail slender and pointed

Where and when it's recorded

Bulwer's Petrel has been recorded at 40 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Lanyang River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)62 records
Zhujiajian-Shengshan Island ferry routeChina29 records
Ilhéu RasoCape Verde22 records

More places

Ngor – Hotel Le CalaoSenegal11 records
Estaca de Bares – Observatorio de aves y entornoSpain10 records
Jiushan Islands NNRChina9 records
Midway Atoll NWR – Sand IslandU.S. Outlying Islands8 records
Lanyang River Estuary IBA – North Shore Observation SpotTaiwan (China)8 records
Komodo National Park – Loh LiangIndonesia8 records
Negombo - Morawala Beach - seawatchingSri Lanka8 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Cape Verde Spain Senegal U.S. Outlying Islands Indonesia Sri Lanka Singapore

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

Bulwer's petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) is a small petrel in the family Procellariidae that is found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is named after the English naturalist James Bulwer.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Bulwer's Petrel?

The Bulwer's Petrel is about 25–29 cm long, with a wingspan of 84 cm and weighs around 99 g.

Where does the Bulwer's Petrel live?

Its breeding range: Tropical Oceans: Ilheu da Vila (Azores), Porto Santo and Desertas (Madeira group), Salvage (north of Canary Islands), Canary Islands, Raso and Ilheu de Cima (northern, southern Cape Verde islands; Macaronesia, off western Africa), Round Island (northeast of Mauritius, central Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean), islands off southern China coast, Ogasawara Islands (=Bonin, south of Japan), Northwestern and main Hawaiian islands and Johnson Atoll (southwest of Hawaii), Kiribati and Marquesas Islands (eastern Polynesia). It is most often recorded in China, Cape Verde and Spain.

When is the best time to see the Bulwer's Petrel?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Bulwer's Petrel endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Bulwer's Petrel as Least Concern.

What does the Bulwer's Petrel eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Bulwer's Petrel in?

It belongs to the family Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels (Procellariidae), order Procellariiformes.

At a glance

Length: 25–29 cm
Wingspan: 84 cm
Weight: 99 g
Habitat: Ocean
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: On the water surface
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 203 mm
Tail: 111 mm
Bill: 22 mm
Tarsus: 27 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Tropical Oceans: Ilheu da Vila (Azores), Porto Santo and Desertas (Madeira group), Salvage (north of Canary Islands), Canary Islands, Raso and Ilheu de Cima (northern, southern Cape Verde islands; Macaronesia, off western Africa), Round Island (northeast of Mauritius, central Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean), islands off southern China coast, Ogasawara Islands (=Bonin, south of Japan), Northwestern and main Hawaiian islands and Johnson Atoll (southwest of Hawaii), Kiribati and Marquesas Islands (eastern Polynesia)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2