Adult has black cap framed by a white neck collar and white forehead, dark gray back, black upper wings, and an extensive white rump with a black tail. Underwings are mostly white, with a black leading edge, and grayish undersides to the primaries. Underparts are clean with a variable tongue of dark feathers extending onto the sides of the upper breast. Some birds show gray connecting across the hind neck extending from the back to the balck cap and a broader black bar across the leading edge of the underwing. Bill is thick and all-dark. Cahow (Bermuda Petrel), recorded from the Carolinas, lacks white collar and has darker rump, more slender bill, and longer wings. Fea's Petrel is smaller with dark underwings, gray nape and rump.

Length: 41 (cm) Wingspan: 94 (cm)

Habitat:

Open ocean, rarely seen from shore.

Behavior:

Nests in burrows; attends nest site at night. Strong flier over water.

Feeding:

Picks food from water's surface; eats fish, cephalopods, and other small aquatic organisms.