Australia
SpeciesField NotesLog inDownload

Field notes

Stay in the loop

Get updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

By subscribing, I agree to receive BirdUp Australia updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

Australia
Download for iOSDownload for AndroidSpeciesField NotesRSSNewsletterBrandPrivacyTerms

BirdUp Australia Pty Ltd © 2026. Made in Australia for Australian birders.

  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Procellariidae
  4. ›
  5. Halobaena
  6. ›
  7. Blue Petrel
Blue Petrel
Photo · steve b

BirdUp · Species

Blue Petrel

Halobaena caerulea(Gmelin, JF, 1789)

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Native
Order
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Family
Procellariidae
Genus
Halobaena

At a glance

The Blue Petrel is a medium-sized bird, about 26–32 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
26–32 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Blue Petrel look like?

The Blue Petrel is a medium-sized bird, about 26–32 cm long.

The blue petrel is a small seabird in the shearwater and petrel family, Procellariidae. This small petrel is the only member of the genus Halobaena, but is closely allied to the prions. It is distributed across the Southern Ocean but breeds at a few island sites, all close to the Antarctic Convergence zone.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
26–32 cm
Wingspan
62 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Blue Petrel?

The Blue Petrel is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

The BirdUp app

Log your next Blue Petrel in the field

A pocket field journal for 850+ Australian birds. Offline-first, smart ID, and a lifelist that travels with you.

Get the appRead field notes
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report incorrect info

02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Blue Petrel live in Australia?

The Blue Petrel is native to Australia, recorded across 21 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingIslands of subantarctic Atlantic and Indian oceans mostly south of Antarctic Convergence from Diego Ramirez (south of Tierra del Fuego) and Cape Horn (south South America) to Macquarie (far south-east of Australia)

Non-breedingForages to Antarctic waters; disperses to waters of south South America and south Australia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Passage
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded