Birds
Kerguelen Petrel
Lugensa brevirostris · also called Kerguelen's petrel
Veering and looping through the air at extraordinary speed, a Kerguelen petrel flies more erratically than almost any other seabird, a dark, stub-billed wanderer that spends nearly its entire life far out across the Southern Ocean.
Overview
The Kerguelen petrel, Lugensa brevirostris, is a Least Concern seabird native to ocean habitat across the Southern Ocean, ranging widely into the South Atlantic, South Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Its extraordinarily erratic high-speed flight, almost entirely dark plumage, and deeply pelagic lifestyle make it one of the more distinctive and difficult-to-track gadfly petrels found anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
A flight pattern built to confuse
Where most seabirds fly in relatively predictable, efficient lines, the Kerguelen petrel instead veers, dives, and loops through the air with an unpredictability that has puzzled and fascinated observers, a flight style that may exist specifically to make the bird a harder target for aerial predators.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread and generally stable across its remote subantarctic breeding range and extensive pelagic foraging grounds.
Kerguelen Petrel: common questions
Why does the Kerguelen petrel fly so erratically?
This species flies in an extremely fast, erratic manner, veering and looping unpredictably through the air, a style thought to make it more difficult for aerial predators to intercept during flight.
What does the Kerguelen petrel look like?
This species has almost entirely dark grey-brown plumage overall, lacking the sharp contrasting patterns seen in many related petrel species, along with a notably short, stubby bill.
How far out to sea does the Kerguelen petrel range?
This species is highly pelagic, spending the vast majority of its life far out at sea and rarely approaching land except to breed, ranging widely across the South Atlantic, South Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Where does the Kerguelen petrel breed?
This species breeds in burrows dug into soil on remote subantarctic islands, visiting its nest site only under cover of darkness to avoid predatory seabirds.