Snow petrel

Pagodroma nivea

The Snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) is a bird found in Antarctica and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands. Antarctic cliffs and sea ice, all the way to the far south. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, fish and small animals. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Pagodroma nivea
Region	Polar & Oceans
Found in	Antarctica and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands

🏡 Where the Snow petrel lives

Antarctic cliffs and sea ice, all the way to the far south.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs60%
🐟 Fish30%
🐾 Small animals10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It is one of only three birds ever seen at the South Pole.

Hear the Snow petrel

Recorded by Stein Ø. Nilsen (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC598473. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Snow petrel

Where does the Snow petrel live?

The Snow petrel lives in Antarctica and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands. Antarctic cliffs and sea ice, all the way to the far south.

What does the Snow petrel eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 60%), fish (about 30%), small animals (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Snow petrel endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Polar & Oceans

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.