Wilson's storm petrel

Oceanites oceanicus

The Wilson's storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) is a bird found in United States, Antarctica, Australia, Canada and Chile. Open oceans worldwide, nesting on Antarctic islands. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, fish and dead animals (carrion). The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Oceanites oceanicus
Region	North America
Found in	United States, Antarctica, Australia, Canada and Chile

🏡 Where the Wilson's storm petrel lives

Open oceans worldwide, nesting on Antarctic islands.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs60%
🐟 Fish30%
🦴 Leftovers (carrion)10%

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.

💡 One of the most common birds in the world, and it "walks" on the water as it feeds.

Hear the Wilson's storm petrel

Recorded by McKenzie (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC401263. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Wilson's storm petrel

Where does the Wilson's storm petrel live?

The Wilson's storm petrel lives in United States, Antarctica, Australia, Canada and Chile. Open oceans worldwide, nesting on Antarctic islands.

What does the Wilson's storm petrel eat?

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

Is the Wilson's storm petrel endangered?

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

More birds from North America

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