Grey-faced Petrel Research Articles

Feather mercury content of grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi): Relationships with age, breeding success, and foraging behaviour, in known age individuals

Seabirds have been touted as excellent bioindicators of mercury pollution. We utilised grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) feathers to assess interannual differences in total mercury (THg) concentrations in adults (2020−2021) and chicks (2019–2021) breeding in the Auckland region of New Zealand. For adults, we also correlated feather THg with bird age (3–37+ years) and breeding outcome (i.e., Non breeder, Egg failed, Chick reared) recorded for that season i.e., 2020 and 2021. Interannual differences in chick feather THg were matched with bulk stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) to map the influence of adult foraging behaviour on chick feather THg values.Adult feather THg levels were similar across the years investigated i.e., mean ± S.D. 38.2 ± 12.8 (2020), and 39.5 ± 14.7 (2021) ug g−1 (some of the highest THg values recorded for seabirds). A slight, but significant decrease in THg accumulation was evident as age increased but feather THg had no significant influence on breeding outcome.Interannual differences in chick feather THg concentrations were 7.78 ± 1.6 (2019), 4.23 ± 1.45 (2020) and 6.97 ± 4.41 (2021) μg g−1, (p < 0.01); and correlated with a significantly lower δ13C value i.e., −17.2 ± 0.4 ‰ (2019), −17.8 ± 0.3 ‰ (2020) and -17.6 ± 0.2 ‰ (2021). This suggests that the lower feather THg values in 2020 chicks resulted from more oceanic, rather than shelf-edge, prey being consumed by chicks that year. Values of δ15N in chick feathers remained consistent among years i.e., 15.2 ± 1.2 ‰ (2019), 15.2 ± 0.2 ‰ (2020) and 15.3 ‰ (± 0.4). Due to these interannual differences, we recommend using grey-faced petrel chicks to monitor Hg pollution over adults. Chicks are also subject to cultural harvests by Māori communities, offering partnership opportunities to generate mutually beneficial information streams for Māori communities and scientists alike.

Chick Provisioning in Grey-Faced Petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) under Environmental Stress

Grey-faced Petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) are colonial burrowing seabirds predominantly nesting on offshore islands of the upper North Island of New Zealand. We studied their chick provisioning on Te Hāwere-a-Maki during two years of unfavourable warmer La Niña conditions in 2011 and 2013. We intensively monitored chicks in each year, weighing chicks every 12 h for 10 consecutive days to estimate meal sizes following chick provisioning and to estimate 12-hourly body mass loss as a function of time since last feeding. We found a quadratic relationship of body mass loss with time since last feeding, with rapid digestion of meals following provisioning followed by a period of fasting from five days post feeding as chicks waited an unknown and variable amount of time until their next meal. The rate of body mass loss did not depend on chick age nor body mass, and did not differ between years, but heavier chicks included in our study were more likely to successfully fledge, suggesting a legacy of adult provisioning prior to our study commencing. Our regular handling of chicks for monitoring has no discernible impact on parent provisioning compared to a set of control chicks. The mean estimates of 100-gram meal sizes and 10-day foraging trip durations are likely to be below the break-even point for this species.

Climatic Effects on Grey-Faced Petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) Chick Growth and Survival

Grey-faced Petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) are a colonial burrowing seabird predominantly nesting on offshore islands of the upper North Island of New Zealand. We studied their annual breeding biology and the impact of Southern Oscillation Index climatic effects by measuring colony productivity and chick growth rates from 2011 to 2015 on Te Hāwere-a-Maki as unfavorable warmer La Niña conditions changed to favorable cooler El Niño conditions. Across all five years, annual chick hatching consistently occurred within a one-week period at the end of August but fledging variably occurred over a three-week period following Christmas. Because ship rats are pest controlled on Te Hāwere-a-Maki, we found only a slight reduction in breeding success with nearby predator-free islands. However, chick growth and fledging rates were significantly higher under El Niño conditions occurring towards the end of our study, rather than La Niña conditions at the start of our study. Our regular handling of chicks for monitoring had no discernible impact compared to a set of control chicks. The combined impacts of annual variation in predation and climate mean the Grey-faced Petrel colony on Te Hāwere-a-Maki maintains a constant population size of around 100 burrows.

Seabird stress and breeding: Endocrine and hematological stress biomarkers differ between gray-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) colonies.

Seabird breeding success is known to reflect oceanic conditions. Gray-faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) breeding on the east coast of Auckland, New Zealand, exhibit poor reproductive success and slow chick development compared to west coast conspecifics. This study mapped changes in physiological traits (corticosterone [CORT] and hematological parameters) indicative of sublethal stress in this Procellariiform species between the west coast (Ihumoana) and east coast (Hāwere) island colonies. We found adult gray-faced petrels on the east coast to be lighter and, unlike west coast birds, exhibited an attenuation of response CORT levels between incubation and chick-rearing phases. Such responses were also reflected in east coast chicksthat were lighter and had higher feather CORT titers than west coast chicks. Measures of adult hematology and plasma biochemistry revealed significantly lower glucose levels in east coast birds and indicated that chick rearing is the most stressful phase of breeding for this species Combined;these results suggest that east coast birds are under greater nutritional stress and that parents appear to transfer the costs of poor foraging to their chicks to preserve their own condition, consequently increasing chick developmental stress. Our results suggest that any long-term decrease in ocean conditions and/or climatic shifts would be more acutely felt by east coast chicks and potentially their parents, resulting in years of poor breeding success rates on a local scale.

A survey of Great-winged Petrels Pterodroma macroptera breeding at sub-Antarctic Marion Island and a revised global population estimate

Although burrow-nesting petrels are the most abundant group of seabirds in the Southern Ocean, their global populations are poorly known, because most species breed on remote islands. For example, there are no accurate estimates for Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera populations at any of its major breeding sites. Moreover, current global population estimates for Great-winged Petrels of approximately 1.5 million birds include counts of the closely related Grey-faced Petrel P. gouldi, which is now recognised as a different species. On sub-Antarctic Marion Island, Great-winged Petrel burrows found within random strip transects were counted and then burrow densities were extrapolated by GIS-derived habitat attributes to generate an island-wide burrow estimate (33 000 burrows). Burrow occupancy rates at the start of incubation averaged 48 ± 29% (range 10–94%) during one-off surveys at ten sites around the island, and repeat surveys found at least 42% of burrows were occupied by breeders. This suggests there were approximately 14 000 occupied burrows (95% CI 9 500–18 500) on Marion Island in 2015. Collating data from other breeding sites suggests that the global breeding population is perhaps 100 000–150 000 pairs (400 000–600 000 birds).

Camera trapping of Grey-faced Petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) breeding burrows reveals interactions with introduced mammals throughout the breeding season

ABSTRACTGrey-faced Petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) are burrow-nesting seabirds endemic to New Zealand. They usually breed on mammal-free offshore islands along the North Island coast. Mechanisms by which breeding colonies can persist on the North Island with introduced mammals present are still uncertain. Motion-sensing video cameras were used in the Waitakere Ranges to determine the types of interaction between resident introduced mammal species and petrel breeding burrows. Existing predator control is reducing the total count of recorded interactions by predators, with rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) entering burrows dominating interactions. The interaction of ship rats (Rattus rattus) or rabbits with breeding burrows had no influence on egg-laying or chick-hatching success. Grey-faced Petrels remained in breeding burrows, despite high interaction frequencies of introduced mammals prior to the egg-laying stage. Whilst our data show no impact of mammalian visit rates on Grey-faced Petrel breeding success, other published studies suggest that population recovery might be enhanced by site-specific trapping and baiting methods which also target rabbits.

Feather colours of live birds and museum specimens look similar when viewed by seabirds

Bird plumage and skin colour can be assessed from museum specimens. To determine whether these accurately represent the colours of live birds when viewed by birds themselves, we analysed the spectral reflectances of live and up to 100‐year‐old museum specimens of five seabird species (White‐faced Petrel Pelagodroma marina, Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix, Grey‐faced Petrel Pterodroma gouldi, Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis and Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia). Live birds had brighter colours than museum specimens, but there were no significant differences in the wavelengths reflected. Modelling indicated that seabirds would be able to detect colour changes in the skin, but not the feathers, of museum specimens, but only for species with blue or pink feet (Pelecanoides urinatrix and Puffinus assimilis). For seabirds, museum specimens are adequate proxies for feather colour but not for skin colour.

Sex and Geographic Variation in Grey-Faced Petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) Morphometrics

Abstract. Sexual size dimorphism and geographic variability in external measurements of the Grey-faced Petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) were investigated on the west and east coasts of the North Island of New Zealand. The applicability of morphometrics to distinguish the sex of individuals in the two geographic areas and assign a geographic origin to individuals was evaluated. Low geographic variation in morphometry was found, with discriminant function analysis failing to develop an efficient function to assign a geographic origin (55.9% accuracy). In contrast, sexual size dimorphism was marked (up to 6.6% different), with males being significantly larger than females in all measurements but wing length. A discriminant function combining bill depth at nostrils and head length correctly predicted sex of adult breeders with 80.9% accuracy (78.9% for males, 82.7% for females). Despite its apparent applicability across the entire range of the species, this discriminant function was not sufficiently accurate on its...

Elevated mercury concentrations in the feathers of grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) in New Zealand

Our objective was to measure the concentrations of Hg, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Sb, V and Zn in the body feathers of grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi), fluttering shearwater (Puffinus gavia), little shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) and common diving petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix) from breeding colonies in New Zealand between 2006 and 2013. The mean Hg concentration (36.48ppm; SD=9.59) in grey-faced petrel feathers was approximately 8.5 to 14 times that detected in the other three species sampled. We detected no trend or differences in Hg concentrations in grey-faced petrels over the 8years of this study, but Hg concentrations varied between breeding colonies although there was no strong relationship with latitude. The elevated Hg concentrations detected in grey-faced petrels could pose a risk to the breeding performance of grey-faced petrels and the customary harvest of chicks by Māori (New Zealand's indigenous peoples).

Morphological, behavioural, and genetic evidence supports reinstatement of full species status for the grey-faced petrel,Pterodroma macroptera gouldi(Procellariiformes: Procellariidae)

Although described as a distinct species in 1869, for more than a century now New Zealand's grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi Hutton, 1869) has been regarded as a subspecies of the great-winged petrel (P. macroptera A. Smith, 1840). However, several authors have recently questioned whether the taxon once again deserves full species status. Here, we demonstrate that the grey-faced petrel is sufficiently distinct in multiple facets of its biology (including mitochondrial DNA, plumage variation, morphometrics, osteology, vocalizations, external parasites, and feeding and breeding biology) to warrant reinstatement of full species status under the morphological, phylogenetic, and potentially biological species concepts. Moreover, we present new evidence from mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and cytochrome b) that suggests the great-winged petrel is actually more closely related to the white-headed petrel (Pterodroma lessonii Garnot, 1826) than to the grey-faced petrel. The reclassification of grey-faced petrel to full species status raises the degree of seabird endemism in New Zealand to 43%, emphasising the status of the archipelago as a hotspot for seabird diversity.

Monitoring burrowing petrel populations: A sampling scheme for the management of an island keystone species

ABSTRACTBurrow‐nesting petrels (order Procellariiformes) are keystone species in island ecosystems, where they modify habitat through guano deposition and burrow digging. Burrowing petrels are among the most threatened groups of birds, yet robust long‐term monitoring data remain scarce because of the financial and logistical constraints of working on offshore breeding islands, the variety of surveying strategies used, and the birds' below‐ground breeding behavior. We examined the sampling requirements of monitoring programs to detect changes in the number of breeding pairs of gray‐faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi), a common species in northern New Zealand. We first examined the relationship between burrow entrance density and breeding pair density using 4 years of data from 3 large colonies. We then conducted a simulation‐based power analysis to assess the ability of different burrow‐occupancy sampling regimes to detect changes in breeding bird abundance. Power to detect change was influenced by population growth rates, initial bird density, inter‐annual variation in abundance, plot size, number of plots, intervals between surveys, time of year surveys are undertaken, and duration of the monitoring program. Our analyses suggest that, under the most suboptimal monitoring conditions, at least 45 randomly assigned 5‐m‐radius plots surveyed annually during the incubation period for ≥20 years will be required to detect a 1% annual change in breeding bird abundance. Because power will vary depending on project specifications, local conditions, and potential change, we created an online application with over 50,000 combinations of starting parameters (https://landcare.shinyapps.io/petrels). This allows managers to determine the power of different combinations of survey intensities while maintaining consistency and maximizing efficiency. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.

Grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) productivity unaffected by kiore (Pacific rats, Rattus exulans) on a New Zealand offshore island

Burrow-nesting seabird populations are vulnerable to predation by introduced rats, because of their nesting habits and slow life histories. We investigated whether control of kiore (Pacific rats, Rattus exulans) by removal trapping, and during an unsuccessful community-led island-wide eradication attempt, had any effects on nest survival of grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) on Ririwha (Stephenson Island), northeastern New Zealand. We compared nest survival between two plots at which rats were trapped and six un-trapped plots in 2010, as well as at all plots during and after the poisoning programme in 2011–2012. Neither mean rates of breeding burrow occupancy nor nest survival differed between trapped and un-trapped plots in 2010. We found no significant differences between years or between plots throughout the poisoning programme. Extrapolation of daily nest survival rates to the full 172-day combined egg and chick period gave an estimate of mean annual productivity for all plots combined of 0.285 (95% confidence interval 0.252–0.318), which is higher than on comparable predator-free islands. Although the absence of a detectable effect of kiore on breeding grey-faced petrels on Ririwha is reassuring, we can be less sure that smaller burrow-nesting seabirds on the island are secure.

Insights to the functional relationships of Māori harvest practices: Customary use of a burrowing seabird

Indigenous peoples globally have relied on customary practices for safeguarding and optimizing harvest of wildlife populations, including seabirds. Increasingly, there have been efforts to engage these indigenous and local knowledge systems to inform responses to the global biodiversity crisis. We considered how customary harvest management as practiced historically by New Zealand Māori might have contributed to sustaining a burrowing seabird population. We used a deterministic age-structured model of a population of grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi). By harvesting pre-fledging chicks, rather than adult birds, Māori harvesters had less of an impact on population growth rates; annual population growth rate dropped below 1.0 if 2% or more of adult birds were harvested compared with threshold harvests of 25% or more of either eggs or chicks. Restrictions such as prohibition of the digging out of burrows or the use of a snaring pole to catch chicks would lead to an annual harvest of less than our estimated deterministic threshold for a sustainable harvest of 25% of chicks even if all the chicks within arm's reach down the burrows were caught. The cultural practice of rotating harvests or resting populations was also effective; harvesting every 3 years allowed up to 75% of chicks to be taken without causing the theoretical population to decline. The development and implementation of ecologically meaningful but also culturally appropriate approaches to managing wildlife is an important part of efforts to de-colonialize conservation management. We recommend adaptive or multi-evidence-based approaches where scientific information and methods complement indigenous knowledge and practices in the management of wildlife. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.

One method does not suit all: variable settlement responses of three procellariid species to vocalisation playbacks

Attempts to establish seabird colonies at restoration sites using artificial visual and auditory social cues have had varying success rates, differing between sites and species. The biological mechanisms responsible for this variation are poorly understood. We used experimental call playback to test the attraction of three sympatric procellariid species to auditory social cues in northern New Zealand. To test whether the size of nearby breeding colonies affected the level of response to call playback, audio recordings were broadcast from three similar locations with varying densities of breeding conspecifics within 1 km. Grey-faced Petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) were attracted to conspecific vocalisation playbacks at all three sites and also to playbacks of other species. Fluttering Shearwater (Puffinus gavia) were attracted to playback at only two locations. Flesh-footed Shearwater (Puffinus carneipes) were not attracted to playbacks, broadcast from only one location. For Grey-faced Petrels and Fluttering Shearwaters, response to call playback increased with increasing densities of nearby breeding conspecifics, suggesting there may be a relationship between attraction and the size of nearby potential source populations. For some procellariid species call playback represents a cost-effective alternative to other active restoration approaches, such as translocation. However, we caution that its effectiveness for individual species at different sites should be assessed at the outset of restoration initiatives.

Comparative seabird diving physiology: first measures of haematological parameters and oxygen stores in three New Zealand Procellariiformes

Within breath-hold diving endotherms, procellariiform seabirds present an intriguing anomaly as they regularly dive to depths not predicted by allometric models. How this is achieved is not known as even basic measures of physiological diving capacity have not been undertaken in this group. To remedy this we combined time depth recorder (TDR) measurements of dive behaviour with haematology and oxygen store estimates for 3 procellariiform species (common diving petrels Pelecanoides urinatrix urinatrix; grey-faced petrels Pterodroma macro ptera gouldi; and sooty shearwaters Puffinus griseus) during their incubation phase. Among species, we found distinct differences in dive depth (average and maximal), dive duration and dives h �1 , with sooty shearwaters diving deeper and for longer than grey-faced petrels and common diving petrels. Conversely, common diving petrels dove much more frequently, albeit to shallow depths, whereas grey-faced petrels rarely dived whatsoever. Such differences in dive behaviour were reflected in haematological parameters, with sooty shearwaters having higher red blood cell counts and haematocrit (Hct) values compared to common diving and grey-faced petrels; whereas common diving petrels had significantly lower Hct but possessed higher haemoglobin concentrations per cell and greater respiratory oxygen stores than both sooty shearwaters and grey-faced petrels. Such results provide the first insights into the physiological traits underpinning procellariiform dive behaviour, and confirm the trend for deep-diving seabirds to have proportionally lower blood and respiratory oxygen stores than shallow divers.

Variation in productivity of Grey-faced Petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) with local burrow density and breeding island

For long-lived birds, estimates of productivity can be effective indicators of environmental change or responses to management. Such estimates are also valuable in modelling population growth. We report estimates of nest survival for burrow-nesting Grey-faced Petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) from four islands off the north-eastern coast of New Zealand. We surveyed the contents of breeding burrows for up to four breeding seasons and followed the fates of 1371 eggs. We used a logistic-exposure modelling approach to investigate the effects of island, year, local burrow density and occupancy rate on nest survival. Daily nest survival varied between years and islands but declined with increasing local burrow density across all islands. Local burrow occupancy rate had no detectable effect. We estimated overall rates of breeding success on our island groups of 11% (95% confidence interval 9–14%) to 28% (26–30%). The negative density-dependent relationships between local burrow densities and productivity add to the growing evidence for this effect in burrow-nesting seabirds worldwide, in contrast to trends in surface-breeding species. The variation in productivity between our study colonies may be linked to the restoration histories of the islands and suggests that data from one location should be used cautiously when guiding management of the same species elsewhere.

Reinstatement of customary seabird harvests after a 50-year moratorium

Seabird eggs, chicks, and adults have significant value for many cultures, but delayed maturation, low reproductive rates, and ease of exploitation at breeding colonies make these species especially vulnerable to overharvest. In New Zealand, indigenous Māori placed a moratorium over the harvest of grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) chicks in the 1960s because of concerns about diminished returns. Over the last decade, those tribes have indicated their desire to reinstate a small customary harvest. We used recent estimates of population sizes and demographic parameters to develop population models to investigate the feasibility of reinstating a sustainable harvest of pre-fledgling chicks from 2 island populations: Moutohorā and the Ruamāhua Islands. In the absence of harvest, our simulations predicted mean annual rates of population growth of 1.01 (95% CI 1.010–1.014) for the colony on Moutohorā and 0.983 (0.978–0.989) for the Ruamāhua Islands. The Moutohorā colony could potentially sustain a fixed-quota harvest of up to 6,000 chicks or a fixed-proportion harvest of up to 30% of chicks, annually. A larger-scale harvest would require either a very conservative fixed-quota harvest with strict monitoring of bag limits, or a fixed-proportion harvest with reliable ongoing monitoring of the population size. We propose that Māori authorities use a fixed-quota system up until they develop and use either a scientific assessment or a harvester-derived index of population change. On the basis of our simulations, in 2010, Ngāti Awa, the local tribe, harvested chicks from Moutohorā for the first time in half a century. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.

Genetic panmixia in New Zealand's Grey-faced Petrel: implications for conservation and restoration

Seabirds are highly vagile yet many have restricted gene flow owing to physical barriers (e.g. land or ice) or non-physical barriers (e.g. philopatry), which often results in population divergence. Identification of distinct units is important for defining conservation status, guiding restoration of populations and coastal ecosystems, and managing the effect of anthropogenic activities (e.g. fisheries by-catch, customary harvesting). We collected DNA samples from 390 Grey-faced Petrels (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi) at 13 colonies across their New Zealand breeding range to examine population genetic structure. We sequenced part of the mitochondrial control region and genotyped 12 microsatellite DNA loci. We found high diversity in mitochondrial DNA in all colonies. Analyses showed a lack of genetic structure in Grey-faced Petrels that we propose is a result of high levels of gene flow. Although, we found no genetically distinct populations we suggest that any translocations for conservation should be done with caution and with some consideration of the proximity of a restoration site to a natal Grey-faced Petrel colony. Also, the high levels of gene flow we found suggest that the method of using acoustic attraction and natural behaviour to establish new colonies offers a useful addition, or alternative, to translocations of chicks. These results provide a genetic basis for conservation and restoration efforts for the Grey-faced Petrel.

Establishing accurate baseline estimates of breeding populations of a burrowing seabird, the grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi) in New Zealand

Accurate estimates of breeding population size are essential for detecting change and guiding conservation management and sustainable use. In New Zealand, the grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi) now breeds predominantly on offshore islands, but is also subject to customary harvest of chicks by northern tribes of Māori (New Zealand’s indigenous peoples). We used island-wide surveys of 3186 breeding burrows, corrected for detection error, and associated habitat variables on two island systems (Ruamaahua Islands and Moutohorā), combined with data from geographic information systems, to build hierarchical Bayesian models to predict the distribution and abundance of breeding pairs. Burrow densities increased with elevation on all islands and, on Moutohorā, were lesser in gullies and on terraces. On the Ruamaahua Islands, burrow densities were associated positively with deeper soils and forests dominated by pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), and negatively with taller forest, denser canopy cover, and northern and western aspects. Predicted breeding-pair densities for each island group provided breeding-pair population estimates of 72,410 (95% credible interval 14,280–138,400) across the Ruamaahua Islands and 69,330 (10,590–128,300) on Moutohorā. Estimating burrow densities using habitat characteristics provided greater precision and accuracy than simpler models that extrapolate sampling data over larger areas. The methods used to estimate population size are applicable to other cryptic seabird species, especially those that live or breed in burrows. It is important to establish accurate baseline estimates of the populations of common seabird species against which to determine responses to perturbations and management interventions.

Correlating seabird movements with ocean winds: linking satellite telemetry with ocean scatterometry

Satellite telemetry studies of the movements of seabirds are now common and have revealed impressive flight capabilities and extensive distributions among individuals and species at sea. Linking seabird movements with environmental conditions over vast expanses of the world’s open ocean, however, remains difficult. Seabirds of the order Procellariiformes (e.g., petrels, albatrosses, and shearwaters) depend largely on wind and wave energy for efficient flight. We present a new method for quantifying the movements of far-ranging seabirds in relation to ocean winds measured by the SeaWinds scatterometer onboard the QuikSCAT satellite. We apply vector correlation (as defined by Crosby et al. in J Atm Ocean Tech 10:355–367, 1993) to evaluate how the trajectories (ground speed and direction) for five procellariiform seabirds outfitted with satellite transmitters are related to ocean winds. Individual seabirds (Sooty Shearwater, Pink-footed Shearwater, Hawaiian Petrel, Grey-faced Petrel, and Black-footed Albatross) all traveled predominantly with oblique, isotropic crossing to quartering tail-winds (i.e., 105–165° in relation to birds’ trajectory). For all five seabirds, entire track line trajectories were significantly correlated with co-located winds. Greatest correlations along 8-day path segments were related to wind patterns during birds’ directed, long-range migration (Sooty Shearwater) as well as movements associated with mega-scale meteorological phenomena, including Pacific Basin anticyclones (Hawaiian Petrel, Grey-faced Petrel) and eastward-propagating north Pacific cyclones (Black-footed Albatross). Wind strength and direction are important factors related to the overall movements that delineate the distribution of petrels at sea. We suggest that vector correlation can be used to quantify movements for any marine vertebrate when tracking and environmental data (winds or currents) are of sufficient quality and sample size. Vector correlation coefficients can then be used to assess population—or species-specific variability and used to test specific hypotheses related to how animal movements are associated with fluid environments.