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Story: Petrels

Northern giant petrel scavenging

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Northern giant petrel scavenging

This young bird is feeding on a skua. Giant petrels are unusual in that they sometimes feed on land. Males in particular are scavengers, tearing apart other birds, dead seals and whales with their immensely strong bill. They also feed at sea on fish, squid and crustaceans. They were more common around the mainland coasts when abattoirs and whaling stations dumped offal into the sea, but are still seen around Cook Strait as well as near offshore islands.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10042147

by Bruce Dix

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How to cite this page

Kerry-Jayne Wilson, Petrels – Shearwaters, Procellaria and fulmarine petrels, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8588/northern-giant-petrel-scavenging (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerry-Jayne Wilson, published 2 March 2009.