Birds of North Carolina
their Distribution and Abundance
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
PROCELLARIIDAE Members:
General Comments
The Fea's Petrel, as with the Trindade Petrel, has a checkered taxonomic history and has also undergone several English names. Several decades ago, when the first individuals were found off North Carolina, the species was known as the Soft-plumaged Petrel, with four subspecies; two of these nested in the eastern Atlantic Ocean near the Mediterranean Sea, one nested in the far southern Atlantic, and the fourth nested in the Pacific. The species was split into three species in 1983?; at that time, the subspecies that nested mainly in the Cape Verde Islands was named the Cape Verde Petrel. As all of the North Carolina records appear to be from this population, we then had to get used to this new English name. Finally, the American Ornithologists' Union changed the English name to Fea's Petrel. (The common name is usually pronounced as "FAY-uz".) The other eastern Atlantic breeding form, the Zino's Petrel (Pterodroma madeira), is smaller and has a much smaller bill than that of Fea's Petrel. However, despite dozens of excellent photos of Fea's, and over 75 (if not 100) records, the AOU did not accept this species to its list of birds having been documented from North America, because of the similarity to Zino's Petrel, until perhaps 15 years ago. And, for a number of years, the ABA Checklist Committee had accepted only "Fea's/Zino's Petrel" to its list of North American birds, even though there were no reports of Zino's Petrel, much less any photos, from the continent. Only in late 2012 did the ABA finally list Fea's Petrel (without the "/Zino's") as a full species to its check-list. Thankfully, the NC BRC accepted Fea's Petrel to the state list in the 1990's. This is one of the four Pterodroma species found off of North Carolina that birders travel long distances to see, as all but the Black-capped are extremely rare anywhere else. To further clarify, or complicate, matters, in 2025 the Clements Checklist of Birds (and followed by eBird) split Fea's Petrel into Desertas Petrel (P. deserta) and Cape Verde Petrel (retaining the P. feae name). Without going into details here, our NC birds are all believed to be Desertas Petrels. However, the AOS (American Ornithological Society) has not made this split as yet, and the Carolina Bird Club follows the AOS taxonomy.
Breeding Status
Nonbreeder
NC BRC List
The species' status on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina: either Definitive, Provisional, or Extinct, as administered by the NC Bird Records Committee. The Provisional List contains species for which there are less than three accepted sight (i.e., non-documented) records. Species of unaccepted origin are not included on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina.
Definitive
State Status
none
U.S. Status
Definitive
State Rank
SZ
Global Rank
G1G2
Coastal Plain
Offshore visitor. Distribution is very similar to that of the Trindade Petrel, however it is very slightly less numerous; in the Gulf Stream, essentially only off Oregon and Hatteras inlets. Rare but somewhat regular, also seen annually, but usually just a few reports each year; well over 100 records. No records south of Hatteras Inlet. Late May to late Sep, with most records in late May and early Jun; far fewer records after early Jun than for Trindade Petrel. Peak counts: 4, off Hatteras Inlet, 30 May 2026; 3, off Oregon Inlet, 4 Jun 2005; 3, off Hatteras Inlet, 19 Jun 2005. Very early was one on 29 Apr 2022 off Hatteras Inlet.
Piedmont
No records.
Mountains
No records.
Finding Tips
* to **
Fortunately for the birder, the records for the species are mostly clumped into a one-month span; thus, take organized pelagic trips out of Hatteras or Oregon inlets to deep water from late May to late Jun, particularly late May or early Jun.