Cape Petrel

Overview

The Cape Petrel, also widely known as the Pintado Petrel or Cape Pigeon, is a medium-small tubenose famous for its bold black-and-white checkerboard pattern across the upperwings and back. It is a common ship-following species in the Southern Ocean, often seen in flocks trailing vessels.

Unlike many petrels that rely on subtle brown or gray tones for camouflage, the Cape Petrel's pattern is high-contrast and distinctive at a distance, making it one of the easiest tubenoses to identify visually.

Cape Petrel feathers are unmistakable once the checkered pattern is visible.

• Upperwing and back feathers: Individual feathers show black tips or bands against white bases, creating the mottled, piebald look when feathers overlap on the intact bird.
• Underparts: Breast and belly feathers are mostly clean white with a dark hood-like patch confined to the head and upper breast.
• Flight feathers: Primaries are mostly blackish with white patches at the base, visible as a bold white flash in flight and evident on a shed primary feather.
• No similar species: The black-and-white checkering is distinctive enough that Cape Petrel feathers are unlikely to be confused with any other tubenose in the region.

Adults show a blackish-brown head, throat, and upper breast forming a dark hood, with the rest of the upperparts checkered black-and-white and the underparts white. Sexes are alike in plumage. Juveniles resemble adults closely, with perhaps slightly less crisp patterning that sharpens with the first full molt. The complete post-breeding molt occurs at sea over an extended period.

Cape Petrels breed colonially on cliffs, scree slopes, and islands around Antarctica and subantarctic islands, then disperse widely across the Southern Ocean and into parts of the southern Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans outside the breeding season. They are strongly pelagic and rarely come to shore except at nesting sites, but are a familiar sight to sailors as one of the most consistent ship-followers among southern seabirds.

Cape Petrels feed at the sea surface on small fish, krill, and other marine invertebrates, often in noisy, active flocks, and are well known for following ships to feed on scraps and disturbed prey. Flight is fluttering and buoyant compared to larger tubenoses, with quick wingbeats interspersed with short glides. They nest in loose colonies on ledges and crevices, laying a single egg, and give a range of cackling and chattering calls at breeding sites and while feeding in groups.