Common Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Common Diving Petrel

Pelecanoides urinatrix (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

152 gWeight

The common diving petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix), also known as the smaller diving petrel or simply the diving petrel, is a diving petrel, one of four very similar auk-like small petrels of the southern oceans.

Busiest months: November · Most records: New Zealand, Australia, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Common Diving Petrel has been recorded at 56 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 10 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Eaglehawk Neck Pelagic TripAustralia1,724 records
  2. Foveaux StraitNew Zealand963 records
  3. Tutukaka To Poor KnightsNew Zealand583 records
More places
  1. Kaikoura – offshore – Albatross Encounter pelagicNew Zealand480 records
  2. Stewart Island – east coast pelagic watersNew Zealand249 records
  3. Cook Strait FerryNew Zealand226 records
  4. Poor Knights Shelf AreaNew Zealand211 records
  5. Hauraki Gulf PelagicNew Zealand157 records
  6. Stewart Island – Titi Islands PelagicNew Zealand148 records
  7. Stewart Island – Oban & Halfmoon BayNew Zealand33 records

Countries and regions with the most records

New ZealandAustraliaSouth Georgia & South Sandwich IslandsFalkland IslandsArgentinaFrench Southern TerritoriesAntarcticaSt. Helena

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

The common diving petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix), also known as the smaller diving petrel or simply the diving petrel, is a diving petrel, one of four very similar auk-like small petrels of the southern oceans. It is native to South Atlantic islands and islands of the subantarctic southern Indian Ocean, islands and islets off New Zealand and south-eastern Australian islands.

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

Questions

How big is the Common Diving Petrel?

The Common Diving Petrel weighs around 152 g.

Where does the Common Diving Petrel live?

Its breeding range: Southern Ocean: islands of subtropical to subantarctic Atlantic, Indian and southwestern Pacific. It is most often recorded in New Zealand, Australia and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands.

When is the best time to see the Common Diving Petrel?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Common Diving Petrel endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Diving Petrel as Least Concern.

What does the Common Diving Petrel eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Common Diving Petrel in?

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

At a glance

Weight
152 g
Habitat
Ocean
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
On the water surface
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
122 mm
Tail
39 mm
Bill
28 mm
Tarsus
24 mm

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

Range

Southern Ocean: islands of subtropical to subantarctic Atlantic, Indian and southwestern Pacific

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Genus
Pelecanoides

Other birds in the genus Pelecanoides

Peruvian Diving PetrelPeruvian Diving PetrelPelecanoides garnotiiMagellanic Diving PetrelMagellanic Diving PetrelPelecanoides magellaniSouth Georgia Diving PetrelSouth Georgia Diving PetrelPelecanoides georgicusSouthern Giant PetrelSouthern Giant PetrelMacronectes giganteusNorthern Giant PetrelNorthern Giant PetrelMacronectes halliNorthern FulmarNorthern FulmarFulmarus glacialisSouthern FulmarSouthern FulmarFulmarus glacialoidesAntarctic PetrelAntarctic PetrelThalassoica antarcticaPintado PetrelPintado PetrelDaption capenseSnow PetrelSnow PetrelPagodroma nivea
Common Diving Petrel

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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