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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing cape petrels. The “Cape” part of a cape petrel’s name comes from the Cape of Good Hope where they were first identified. These are seabirds living in the southern hemisphere, although they sometimes fly into the northern hemisphere where they're known as vagrants. When they take to land, it's most frequently on antarctic and sub-antarctic islands as well as the southern coasts of southern hemisphere continents. Cape petrels are also known as cape pigeons and this likely either for their mottled coloring, scavenging behind ships, and method of eating.

These birds have a painted look, also called pintado petrels which is painted petrel in Spanish. Fascinatingly, pintado petrel is also an anagram of the bird's genus name of which it is currently the only living species. A Cape petrel’s head and neck are dark, their bill, feet, and legs are black, and their underside is mostly white with black tail and wing tips. The back and top of their wings are mottled white and black which helps in identification as they're the only seabirds in their range with this pattern! As adults, these seabirds reach 16 inches (40cm) in body length and more than double that in wingspan.

Cape petrels are frequently seen behind commercial fishing vessels where they scavenge discarded catch. They also gather at carcasses such as the decaying, floating body of a whale. These birds form large flocks that move together across the open ocean. These flocks are maintained during breeding season from November to February, although they become more territorial of their space and more noticeably break off into pairs tending to a single nest. Cape petrel nests are simply scratches of rocks and other debris, typically located on a cliff side with overhanging rocks for protection. Partners return to the same spot each year and keep the same partner year after year.

These birds are not as good at identifying their own eggs as they are at identifying their partner, and Cape petrels may end up raising the eggs of another species such as the snowy petrel. Both parents alternate incubating the egg for 45 days and then feed the chick for a little over 50 days before the chick leaves the nest and becomes independent. It takes five years for a Cape petrel to reach the point at which it mates, and can live to be at least 27 years old according to a banded individual, although their average lifespan is likely shorter.

Cape petrels are not generally considered diving birds. They sit on top of the water’s surface and peck at food swimming in the water below, much like a pigeon pecking at the ground. These birds eat krill and other small crustaceans. They’re also known to catch squid and small fish, especially when following ships and taking whatever is tossed back into the sea. Skuas are a natural predator to Cape petrels, but they’re also threatened by invasive rats and cats in some areas. Most of their breeding grounds are isolated and free of mammalian predators. If they do have to defend themselves, however, Cape petrels produce an oil they can vomit up to surprise and distract a predator. 

Here’s an example of a Cape petrel’s call.

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