Photo: Duncan from Wellington, NZ / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Seabirds & Tubenoses

Bulwer’s Petrel

Bulweria bulwerii

Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) — Seabirds & Tubenoses of Oceans & Seabirds.

Field guide · LocationsWhere to see this bird

Found across 17 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.

Regional checklists

Birds of Australia Birds of Brazil Birds of Spain Birds of Indonesia Birds of Japan Birds of Mexico Birds of Malaysia Birds of the Philippines Birds of Portugal Birds of Thailand

By family

Petrels & Shearwaters of Australia Petrels & Shearwaters of Brazil Petrels & Shearwaters of Spain Petrels & Shearwaters of Indonesia Petrels & Shearwaters of Japan Petrels & Shearwaters of Mexico Petrels & Shearwaters of Portugal

See what's near you right now

The Bulwer’s Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) is a member of the Procellariidae family found in Oceans & Seabirds. Adults weigh 99 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

Class Aves
Order Procellariiformes
Family Procellariidae Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels
Genus Bulweria
Species bulwerii

Where it lives

TrO Ilheu da Vila (Azores), Porto Santo and Desertas (Madeira group), Salvage (north of Canary Is.), Canary Is., Raso and Ilheu de Cima (northern, southern Cape Verde is.; Macaronesia, off western Africa), Round I. (northeast of Mauritius, central Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean), islands off southern China coast, Ogasawara Is. (=Bonin, south of Japan), Northwestern and main Hawaiian is. and Johnson Atoll (southwest of Hawaii), Kiribati and Marquesas Is. (eastern Polynesia)

Oceans & Seabirds

Quick facts

Weight: 99 g
Diet: Aquatic hunters
Family: Procellariidae
Order: Procellariiformes
Habitat: Wetland, lake & coast

How to identify

Similar birds

Vulnerable

Stejneger’s Petrel

Pterodroma longirostris

Least Concern

Bonin Petrel

Pterodroma hypoleuca

Vulnerable

Collared Petrel

Pterodroma brevipes

Least Concern

Black-winged Petrel

Pterodroma nigripennis

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Bulwer’s Petrel hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Behaviour

A bird of open sea and coastal waters, it swims and feeds in and around water.

Migration

The Bulwer’s Petrel is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.

The Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) is a species of petrels, shearwaters, diving petrels in the family Procellariidae, order Procellariiformes. It is found in Oceans & Seabirds — Ilheu da Vila (Azores), Porto Santo and Desertas (Madeira group), Salvage (n of Canary Is.), Canary Is., Raso and Ilheu de Cima (n, s Cape Verde is.; Macaronesia, off w Africa), Round I. (ne of Mauritius, c Mascarenes, sw Indian Ocean), islands off s China coast, Ogasawara Is. (=Bonin, s of Japan), Northwestern and main Hawaiian is. and Johnson Atoll (sw of Hawaii), Kiribati and Marquesas Is. (e Polynesia).

Songs & calls

Bulwer’s Petrel — Song

Recorded by Marcel Gil Velasco Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Bulwer’s Petrel?

The Bulwer’s Petrel is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 99 g.

Where does the Bulwer’s Petrel live?

The Bulwer’s Petrel is found across Oceans & Seabirds with a range covering TrO Ilheu da Vila (Azores), Porto Santo and Desertas (Madeira group), Salvage (n of Canary Is.), Canary Is., Raso and Ilheu de Cima (n, s Cape Verde is.; Macaronesia, off w Africa), Round I. (ne of Mauritius, c Mascarenes, sw Indian Ocean), islands off s China coast, Ogasawara Is. (=Bonin, s of Japan), Northwestern and main Hawaiian is. and Johnson Atoll (sw of Hawaii), Kiribati and Marquesas Is. (e Polynesia), where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.

What family does the Bulwer’s Petrel belong to?

The Bulwer’s Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) belongs to the Procellariidae family, in the order Procellariiformes.

What does the Bulwer’s Petrel eat?

The Bulwer’s Petrel hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Does the Bulwer’s Petrel migrate?

The Bulwer’s Petrel is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.

Is the Bulwer’s Petrel endangered?

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

What sound does the Bulwer’s Petrel make?

1 real field recording of the Bulwer’s Petrel — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the Bulwer’s Petrel's range?

The Bulwer’s Petrel has a mapped global range of about 117.4 million km².