White-chinned Petrel

Karetai kauae mā is a large dark petrel whose tiny white chin patch can be difficult to see at sea. The body is uniformly dark brown with a pale horn-coloured bill and small white chin. Westland petrel is blacker with a darker bill tip and breeds on the South Island coast.

It breeds on subantarctic islands outside and within the wider region and is common in deep southern New Zealand waters. It takes fish, squid, crustaceans and fisheries offal and readily follows vessels; birds dive and surface-seize prey.

White-chinned petrel is classed as Not Threatened in the NZ Threat Classification. Longline and trawl bycatch kills large numbers, and introduced predators affect colonies. Kaikōura, Otago and subantarctic pelagic routes can produce sightings, especially around working vessels.