Jouanin's petrel is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae.
Region
Northwestern Indian Ocean
Typical Environment
Occurs mainly over the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and waters off Oman, Yemen (including Socotra), and the Horn of Africa. It is pelagic, keeping far offshore except during the breeding season. Breeding is on remote rocky or cliffy islets where it nests in crevices or burrows. At sea it frequents productive upwelling zones and oceanic fronts and may range widely across the basin outside breeding.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 300 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Jouanin's petrel is a little-known, dark-plumaged seabird of the northwestern Indian Ocean and a member of the tube-nosed family Procellariidae. It is mostly pelagic and visits land only to breed on remote rocky islands, often arriving and departing under cover of darkness. Identification at sea can be tricky; it resembles Bulwer's petrel but is larger with broader wings and a heavier bill.
Temperament
pelagic and elusive
Flight Pattern
buoyant shearing flight with quick, shallow wingbeats and short glides
Social Behavior
Breeds in loose colonies on isolated sea cliffs and rocky islands. Nocturnal at colonies, where it nests in crevices or burrows and typically lays a single egg. Both parents share incubation and chick-rearing duties.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Usually silent at sea. At breeding sites, gives soft wails, chattering trills, and moaning calls at night, often heard more than seen.
Plumage
Uniform sooty-brown to dark chocolate brown with slightly paler underwing coverts; sleek, satiny appearance.
Diet
Feeds on small fish, squid, and other cephalopods, and occasionally crustaceans. Forages by surface-seizing and shallow dipping, often at night when prey rises toward the surface. Uses keen olfaction to locate patchy food resources over productive waters.
Preferred Environment
Deep offshore pelagic waters, particularly along upwelling zones, eddies, and convergence lines. Rarely approaches the coast except near colonies during the breeding season.
