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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Procellariidae
  4. ›
  5. Procellaria
  6. ›
  7. Grey Petrel
Grey Petrel
Photo · Mark Fraser

BirdUp · Species

Grey Petrel

Procellaria cinereaGmelin, JF, 1789

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Family
Procellariidae
Genus
Procellaria

At a glance

The Grey Petrel is a large bird, about 50 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
50 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Grey Petrel look like?

The Grey Petrel is a large bird, about 50 cm long.

The grey petrel, also called the gray petrel, brown petrel, pediunker or grey shearwater, is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae, or petrel family. It is pelagic and occurs in the open seas of the Southern Hemisphere, mainly between 32°S and 58°S.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
50 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Grey Petrel?

The Grey 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

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

3 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Grey Petrel live in Australia?

The Grey Petrel is native to Australia, recorded across 9 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingIslets of south temperate and subantarctic oceans from Inaccessible and Gough (central South Atlantic Ocean) to Macquarie (far south-east of Australia), Antipodes (south-east of Stewart I.) and Campbell is. (south of South I.; New Zealand)

Non-breedingTo subantarctic Argentine and south African waters (south-west Atlantic) and south Australian and New Zealand waters (south-west Pacific oceans)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Vagrant
  • Non-breeding
  • Passage

7 regions recorded