Black-bellied Storm-Petrel

Black-bellied Storm-Petrel

Fregetta tropica

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

134 Verified sightings at South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands From 2019 to 2026
419 In all 3 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-bellied Storm-Petrel

The black-bellied storm petrel (Fregetta tropica) is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae. It is found in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bouvet Island, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Madagascar, Mozambique, New Zealand, Oman, Peru, Saint Helena, São Tomé and Príncipe, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Uruguay, and Vanuatu.

They are usually black with a white band over the rump and white under the wings and on the flanks. A broad black stripe runs down the center of the belly, but may be broken or absent altogether. They have long legs, so the feet can be seen beyond the tail in flight. The legs and feet are black.

They are silent mostly at sea. Noises can be heard from the breeding colonies; birds on the ground give a drawn-out shrill whistle. Black-bellied storm-petrel [Fregetta tropica] – photos, Christopher Taylor Nature Photography

Black-bellied storm petrel first record for Western Palearctic

Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:10

Antarctica · 2019

© 王自堃 · XC779769 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:17

France · 2019

© Hichem MACHOUK · XC622691 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands 🇦🇶 Antarctica
~20%
2 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 🇬🇸 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
~20%
3 Falkland Islands 🇫🇰 Falkland Islands
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel sighting in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, based on 134 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 37 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands?

April

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, against about 10% in June and September–November, the lowest months. July and August have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-bellied Storm-Petrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands the best place to see a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel?

Among the best

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Black-bellied Storm-Petrel sightings, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands (Antarctica, about 20%).

Where does the Black-bellied Storm-Petrel sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-bellied Storm-Petrel is recorded against all the birds logged in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (134 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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