Animal
Snow petrel
The snow petrel is a small seabird that is white all over. It lives in Antarctica, near the ice. Its eyes and beak are dark.
The snow petrel is a pure white seabird that lives only around Antarctica. It nests in rocky cracks on the frozen continent and nearby icy islands, sometimes hundreds of kilometers inland and as high as 2,400 meters. At sea it stays close to the pack ice, where it catches krill, fish and squid.
Pagodroma nivea, the only species in its genus, is a small fulmarine petrel that breeds only on Antarctica and nearby glaciated islands and feeds in ice-covered seas. A 2023 tracking study recorded one bird 5,268 kilometers from its colony in winter. BirdLife International assessed it as Least Concern for the IUCN Red List (assessed 2018, published 2018), with a stable trend and a population estimated at more than 4 million birds (Brooke 2004).
Photo: Paul Balfe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the snow petrel
The snow petrel is white all over, like snow.
It has dark eyes, a dark beak and dark feet.
The snow petrel is a small seabird, 30 to 40 centimeters long, with pure white feathers. Its only dark parts are its eyes, its short, hooked blue-black bill and its bluish-black feet. Its wings spread 75 to 95 centimeters.
Males and females look alike, though males are usually slightly bigger. Snow petrels vary a lot in size: the largest adults are about a quarter bigger than the smallest.
New Zealand Birds Online (Szabo 2013, updated 2022) describes a small fulmarine petrel, 30 to 40 centimeters long and 200 to 460 grams, with pure white plumage, a short, narrow, hooked blue-black bill, dark eyes, bluish-black feet, relatively long wings (75 to 95 centimeters across) and a wedge-shaped tail in flight. The sexes are alike, males usually slightly larger, and the largest adults are about one quarter larger than the smallest.
It is the only species in the genus Pagodroma; two subspecies have been described, but their status is debated (Viola et al. 2023). NZ Birds Online notes that the only other all-white bird in Antarctica is the snowy sheathbill, a bulkier, land-based bird with a yellow bill.
Quick facts
- Group
- Bird
- Length
- 0.3 to 0.4 m
- Wingspan
- 0.75 to 0.95 m
- Weight
- 0.2 to 0.46 kg
- Lifespan in the wild
- 20 years
A bird of the ice
Snow petrels live in Antarctica.
They fly over the sea ice and rest on icebergs.
Snow petrels live only in and around Antarctica. They nest on the frozen continent and on nearby icy islands, such as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. At sea they stay close to the pack ice, the floating sea ice around Antarctica, and they sometimes rest on icebergs.
In winter, when the sea near their nests freezes over, they spread out over the pack ice and open sea. A tracking study found that most stayed within about 2,000 kilometers of their colony, the farthest went 5,268 kilometers away, and one flew all the way around Antarctica.
The IUCN says the species breeds only on Antarctica and some neighboring islands, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (del Hoyo et al. 1992), and is closely linked with pack ice, mainly where 10 to 50% of the sea is ice-covered. NZ Birds Online adds the Balleny, Scott, South Orkney and Bouvet islands and describes a circumpolar range from the pack-ice edge to the continental ice shelf.
Viola et al. (2023, Australian Antarctic Division co-authors) tracked 27 adults from two East Antarctic colonies through the winter: habitat use was linked to deep water (over 5,000 meters), the ice edge, high sea-ice cover and cold surface water. Twenty birds stayed within about 2,000 kilometers of their colonies; others went farther, up to 5,268 kilometers, and one circled Antarctica. IUCN also lists the species offshore of Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands.
Continent
Its habitat
Where can you find this animal?
- Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Antarctica and nearby icy islands such as South Georgia, the South Sandwich and South Orkney Islands and Bouvet Island (which have no separate map shape), and the pack ice and Southern Ocean around them. The IUCN also lists birds offshore of Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands.
Places: Antarctica and Southern Ocean.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked October 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in Antarctica, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Fr. Southern Lands, Falkland Is., Argentina, United States and 8 more places.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
Krill, fish and squid
Snow petrels eat tiny shrimp-like krill, fish and squid.
They catch food from the top of the water.
Snow petrels eat mainly krill (small shrimp-like animals), fish and squid, and they also feed on dead animals such as seals and whales.
Most of their food is caught on the wing: a petrel dips down and grabs food from the surface. They can also dive and swim after prey. Sometimes a snow petrel sits on the water and spins around, pecking at the surface again and again.
The IUCN lists mainly krill, fish, squid and carrion, taken mostly on the wing by dipping, but also by diving and surface-seizing. NZ Birds Online adds carcasses of birds, seals and whales, and lists aerial and contact dipping, surface-diving, surface-seizing, pursuit diving and pursuit plunging with open wings; when surface-seizing, birds may peck continuously while rotating on their webbed feet, like a phalarope. Feeding birds sometimes accompany minke whales and Antarctic petrels.
Tracked birds were most active around dawn and dusk; Viola et al. (2023) suggest this links to krill rising toward the surface in darkness, and note that snow petrels hunt by sight.
Did you know?
Snow petrels can nest high up on mountains.
Some snow petrels nest on mountains as high as 2,400 meters and hundreds of kilometers from the sea.
Colonies up to 2,400 meters altitude and 325 (IUCN) to 440 kilometers (NZ Birds Online) inland.
White on white
A snow petrel flaps its wings quickly and twists and turns.
It flaps more than most other petrels.
Snow petrels are agile fliers. Over the water they fly low, with quicker wingbeats and less gliding than other petrels. Their flight has been described as erratic and bat-like.
Their thick white feathers are replaced in stages over several months, and the flight feathers are replaced gradually, so the birds can keep flying while they feed a chick.
NZ Birds Online describes agile, low flight over water with more rapid wingbeats and less gliding than other petrels, and an erratic, bat-like style; flocks show no coordinated movements.
Viola et al. (2023), citing Maher (1962), describe a long moult in several phases: primaries in January, all wing and tail feathers replaced by March, flight feathers renewed continuously without loss of flight (so adults can still feed chicks), and body feathers in late March and April. They suggest birds may limit time in the water during that last phase, because the very dense body plumage matters for keeping warm.
Nests in the rocks
Snow petrels nest in cracks between rocks.
The mother lays one white egg.
Snow petrels nest where rock pokes out of the snow and ice in summer: under overhangs, in cracks or in small caves. Some colonies are far inland. The nest is a scrape lined with small stones.
The female lays a single white egg between late November and mid-December. Both parents take turns keeping it warm for 41 to 49 days, and the chick hatches in January. It leaves the nest 41 to 45 days after hatching.
Breeding starts in November in most areas (IUCN). Pairs are monogamous with long-lasting bonds; the main return to colonies is from mid-September to early November, though some birds stay all year. Nests are pebble-lined scrapes on snow-free ledges with overhead protection or in deep crevices; the single white egg (56 by 40 millimeters) is laid from late November to mid-December, incubated by both parents for 41 to 49 days, and hatches in January. Chicks fledge 41 to 45 days after hatching, between late February and mid-May (NZ Birds Online).
Colonies can lie far inland: the IUCN gives up to 325 kilometers inland and 2,400 meters altitude, while NZ Birds Online describes colonies in the Theron Mountains up to 440 kilometers inland. Snow petrels may live up to 20 years.
Stomach-oil defenders
A snow petrel guards its nest.
It can spit smelly oil at anyone who comes too close!
Snow petrels nest loosely together, often near other kinds of petrels that compete for the same few rocky spots. A bird on its nest defends it by squirting foul-smelling orange oil from its stomach at intruders, such as other snow petrels, skuas or people. Birds that get oil on their feathers clean themselves in the snow.
To court, partners raise their heads, touch and fence with their bills, and preen each other.
Snow petrels are loosely gregarious; nests are often sparsely scattered and associated with those of Antarctic fulmars, Antarctic petrels and cape petrels, which compete for limited ice-free space, though the snow petrel is more of a crevice nester (NZ Birds Online). An occupying bird may squirt foul-smelling orange stomach oil through its open mouth at intruders (other snow petrels, skuas or humans) and fight with bill and wings; oil-stained birds clean their plumage in snow.
Courtship includes head-raising, bill-fencing, bill 'kissing' and mutual preening, and aerial displays happen year-round. Calls include clucks, screeches, chirrs and a high 'kir-kir-kir'; chicks chirrup when a parent arrives. South of the Antarctic Circle, where summer daylight is continuous, birds are most active at colonies when the sun is lowest.
Did you know?
One snow petrel flew all the way around Antarctica!
In a tracking study of 27 snow petrels, one bird flew all the way around Antarctica during the winter.
Of 27 adults tracked in winter from East Antarctica, one circumnavigated the continent (Viola et al. 2023).
Watching the sea ice
There are lots of snow petrels.
They find their food near the sea ice.
The snow petrel is listed as least concern, and its numbers are stable. NZ Birds Online calls it one of the most abundant birds of the Antarctic region, with an estimated 4 million adults.
Scientists are watching how a changing climate affects it. Snow petrels have already been seen breeding later and raising fewer young as the climate becomes more variable.
BirdLife International assessed Pagodroma nivea as Least Concern for the IUCN Red List (assessed 7 August 2018, published 2018): stable trend, and a global population estimated at more than 4 million individuals (Brooke 2004); NZ Birds Online gives about 4 million adults. The IUCN notes delayed breeding and lowered reproductive output as responses to increased climate variability, with greater impacts predicted (Carboneras et al. 2018).
NZ Birds Online, citing Barbraud and Weimerskirch (2006), says climate change may threaten the species because Antarctic birds seem to be breeding later in response to less sea ice, which reduces prey in some areas, or to longer sea-ice seasons that delay access to breeding sites.
IUCN Red List
How is the snow petrel doing in the wild?
- Least Concern (this animal)
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
- Endangered
- Critically Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Extinct
Least Concern
Not at risk of disappearing from the wild right now.
Amazing facts
-
A snow petrel can spit smelly oil to keep others away from its nest.
A snow petrel defends its nest by squirting foul-smelling orange oil from its stomach at intruders.
Nest owners may squirt orange stomach oil at other snow petrels, skuas or humans (NZ Birds Online).
-
Snow petrels clean their feathers in the snow.
Snow petrels that get stomach oil on their feathers in a fight clean them in the snow.
Oil-stained birds gather on snow banks near nest sites to clean their plumage (NZ Birds Online).
-
One snow petrel flew all the way around Antarctica!
In a tracking study of 27 snow petrels, one bird flew all the way around Antarctica during the winter.
Of 27 adults tracked in winter from East Antarctica, one circumnavigated the continent (Viola et al. 2023).
-
Snow petrels can nest high up on mountains.
Some snow petrels nest on mountains as high as 2,400 meters and hundreds of kilometers from the sea.
Colonies up to 2,400 meters altitude and 325 (IUCN) to 440 kilometers (NZ Birds Online) inland.
Words to know
- pack ice
- sea ice that floats and drifts around Antarctica in large pieces
- krill
- small shrimp-like animals that many Antarctic animals eat
- crevice
- a narrow crack in rock
- colony
- a group of birds nesting in the same place
- carrion
- the meat of dead animals
- moult
- when a bird loses old feathers and grows new ones
Discovery challenge
-
What color is a snow petrel?
What color are a snow petrel's feathers?
Which plumage describes an adult Pagodroma nivea?
- White all over
- Black all over
- Red and yellow
Show the answer
White all over
White all over, like snow.
Pure white; only the eyes, bill and feet are dark.
Pure white plumage, dark eyes, blue-black bill and bluish-black feet (NZ Birds Online).
-
Where do snow petrels live?
Where in the world do snow petrels live?
To which region is the breeding range of Pagodroma nivea limited?
- Antarctica
- The Sahara Desert
- The Amazon rainforest
Show the answer
Antarctica
Antarctica, near the ice.
Only around Antarctica and nearby icy islands.
Antarctica and neighboring glaciated islands (IUCN; NZ Birds Online).
-
How does a snow petrel keep others away from its nest?
How does a snow petrel defend its nest from intruders?
Which defense do nesting snow petrels use against intruders?
- It squirts smelly oil from its stomach
- It hides under the snow
- It changes color
Show the answer
It squirts smelly oil from its stomach
It spits smelly oil!
It squirts foul-smelling orange stomach oil at intruders.
Squirting orange stomach oil through the open mouth, and fighting with bill and wings (NZ Birds Online).
-
How many eggs does a snow petrel lay?
How many eggs does a snow petrel lay each year?
What is the clutch size of Pagodroma nivea?
- One
- Five
- Twelve
Show the answer
One
Just one white egg.
A single white egg, kept warm by both parents for 41 to 49 days.
A single white egg, 56 by 40 millimeters (NZ Birds Online).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Antarctica and the Southern Ocean on a globe.
- Describe how snow petrels depend on sea ice for food.
- Explain how a nesting snow petrel defends itself.
- Describe what a tracking study found about where snow petrels go in winter.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a white bird that nests among rocks and snow be hard to spot?
- Why might changes in sea ice affect a bird that eats krill?
- What could scientists learn by putting a tiny tracker on a bird?
Try at home or in class
- Cut a 35-centimeter paper bird with a 90-centimeter wingspan to see a snow petrel's size and shape.
- Find the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Circle on a globe or map and trace how far 5,268 kilometers would reach.
Key vocabulary: pack ice, krill, crevice, colony, carrion, moult
Where these facts come from
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN terms of use (no redistribution of Red List data or range maps))
- Pagodroma nivea (BirdLife International, assessed 7 August 2018, published 2018) , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Pagodroma nivea: range, population, ecology and threats text , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Pagodroma nivea: IUCN Red List global assessment record (BirdLife International 2018), IUCN checklist on GBIF , GBIF
- Snow petrel (Szabo 2013, updated 2022) , New Zealand Birds Online
- Marine distribution and habitat use by Snow Petrels Pagodroma nivea in East Antarctica throughout the non-breeding period (Viola et al. 2023) , Frontiers in Marine Science
- File:Snow Petrel in flight (32050984205).jpg (Dallmann Bay, Antarctica, 26 November 2016, Paul Balfe) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.