Westland Petrel

At sea, the Westland Petrel appears as a large, entirely dark, almost black puffin. On close inspection the colour is actually a very dark brown-chocolate. The legs are black and the beak is white-ivory with the tip more or less black. Black lines can also be seen between the various plates that make up the beak. From a moving boat it is far from easy to distinguish this species from the White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) which frequents the same waters. In comparison, this species is much larger and the extent of white under the beak is variable and rarely seen in the wild. However the beak is never blackish at the tip. There is also a risk of confusion with the Parkinson's Petrel (Procellaria parkinsoni) which is approximately the same size, but appears much lighter in flight. At this species too the beak has a black tip, but it is much less robust. This petrel usually frequents more northerly waters than the aforementioned two birds, however, individual birds are sometimes seen in the same places. At sea, identification is not always possible. Both sexes are similar and the juveniles are the same as the adults.