Snow Petrel

Fascinating facts about the Snow Petrel

• A single snow petrel can travel more than 400 km (250 mi) inland from the sea to breed, making its colonies some of the most remote bird nesting sites on Earth; this pushes the limits of how far a seabird will go to raise young.
• The species lays just one pure-white egg, which the parents incubate for 41-49 days and then brood for 8 days before the chick spends a further 7 weeks growing, an unusually long commitment for a bird only about the size of a pigeon.
• With a wingspan of 75-95 cm (30-37 in) and a body length of 30-40 cm (12-16 in), the snow petrel can fly erratically over the Antarctic pack ice, yet it can also spray a salty oil from its stomach to deter skuas, showing a dual defense and fuel system.
• Only three bird species, including the snow petrel, have ever been recorded at the Geographic South Pole, highlighting its extreme cold tolerance and the fact that it can thrive where virtually no other birds survive.
• The snow petrel has an occurrence range of 35.9 million km² (13.86 million sq mi) and an estimated population of about 4 million adult birds, and it is classified as least concern.

At a glance

About the Snow Petrel

The snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) is a strikingly pure-white fulmarine petrel, about the size of a pigeon, with coal-black eyes, a small black bill and bluish-gray feet. Measuring 30–40 cm in length and spanning 75–95 cm, its erratic flight darts over the ice, often changing direction as it skirts icebergs and frozen seas. Endemic to the Antarctic, it inhabits the coldest waters and even breeds far inland, more than 400 km from the open sea on exposed rock faces and mountain ranges, making it one of the world’s most southerly nesting birds. The species is the sole member of the genus Pagodroma, a name that fuses the Greek words for “frost” and “runner,” a fitting tribute to its icy realm. Snow petrels are monogamous for life, returning to the same colony year after year, and they raise a single white egg that hatches after a 41- to 49-day incubation. Their diet is a versatile Antarctic buffet: fish, cephalopods, mollusks, krill, and even carrion such as seal placentas and whale carcasses. A surprising adaptation is their ability to produce a waxy stomach oil, which they can eject as a defense against skuas and as a high-energy food reserve for long flights and chick rearing. Their salt glands, perched above the nasal passages, excrete excess salt, allowing them to drink seawater without harm, a perfect physiological fit for life on the frozen continent…

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