Bird Album
Herald Petrel
Pterodroma heraldica (Salvin, 1888)
35–39 cmLength95 cmWingspan394 gWeight
Its plumage varies from dark to pale, with intermediate forms as well.
Busiest months: July · Most records: Pitcairn Islands, Cook Islands, French Polynesia
How to identify
Where and when it's recorded
Herald Petrel has been recorded at 14 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Oeno IslandPitcairn Islands17 records
- Ducie IslandPitcairn Islands12 records
- Henderson Island – North LandingPitcairn Islands12 records
More places
- Titikaveka Coastline & village areaCook Islands12 records
- Rarotonga – Muri Beach/LagoonCook Islands5 records
- Pitcairn IslandPitcairn Islands4 records
- RarotongaCook Islands4 records
- Rarotonga – Avarua vicinityCook Islands3 records
- Henderson IslandPitcairn Islands2 records
- AitutakiCook Islands1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
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 Herald petrel (Pterodroma heraldica) is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. Its range includes the south Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Herald Petrel?
The Herald Petrel is about 35–39 cm long, with a wingspan of 95 cm and weighs around 394 g.
Where does the Herald Petrel live?
Its breeding range: Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean: Round Island (northeast of Mauritius, central Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean); Raine Island (few; northeastern Australia), Chesterfield Reefs (New Caledonia), Tonga and Samoa (central Polynesia) to southern Cook, Austral, Marquesas, Tuamotu and Pitcairn groups and Rapa Nui (Easter=Eastern Islands group, southeastern Polynesia). It is most often recorded in Pitcairn Islands, Cook Islands and French Polynesia.
When is the best time to see the Herald Petrel?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Herald Petrel endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Herald Petrel as Least Concern.
What does the Herald Petrel eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Herald Petrel in?
It belongs to the family Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels (Procellariidae), order Procellariiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 35–39 cm
- Wingspan
- 95 cm
- Weight
- 394 g
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 281 mm
- Tail
- 110 mm
- Bill
- 27 mm
- Tarsus
- 34 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean: Round Island (northeast of Mauritius, central Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean); Raine Island (few; northeastern Australia), Chesterfield Reefs (New Caledonia), Tonga and Samoa (central Polynesia) to southern Cook, Austral, Marquesas, Tuamotu and Pitcairn groups and Rapa Nui (Easter=Eastern Islands group, southeastern Polynesia)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels Procellariidae
- Genus
- Pterodroma
Other birds in the genus Pterodroma
Great-winged PetrelPterodroma macroptera
White-headed PetrelPterodroma lessonii
Grey-faced PetrelPterodroma gouldi
Atlantic PetrelPterodroma incerta
Providence PetrelPterodroma solandri
Magenta PetrelPterodroma magentae
Murphy's PetrelPterodroma ultima
Soft-plumaged PetrelPterodroma mollis
Zino's PetrelPterodroma madeira
Fea's PetrelPterodroma feae
Desertas PetrelPterodroma deserta
Bermuda PetrelPterodroma cahow
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Rohan Clarke. ↗
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