A White-chinned Petrel scavenges on a dolphin carcass

(A) Adult White-chinned Petrel near a dead Franciscana Dolphin; (B) detail of the dolphin; (C) detail of possible pecking marks; and (D) detail of exposed flesh, likely the area where the White-chinned Petrel was pecking (from the publication)

Fabio Schunck (Comitê Brasileiro de Registros Ornitológicos, São Paulo, Brazil) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on an unusual observation of a scavenging White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis is an opportunistic forager that often follows fishing boats to feed upon scraps or escaped/discarded fish.  Although its diet in non-breeding areas is not well understood, studies of stomach contents indicate that its diet consists of fish, crustaceans, and squid.  In June 2024, during a pelagic birding trip off the coast of Santa Catarina State, Brazil, a White-chinned Petrel was spotted feeding on the floating carcass of a Franciscana Dolphin Pontoporia blainvillei.  This behavior has not been previously documented in the literature, online citizen science platforms, or by personal observation.  We believe this to be an uncommon, opportunistic feeding strategy for this petrel species.”

Reference:

Schunck, F., Souza, R., Donadio, D.N., Correa, L., Bicudo, R., Souza, M.O., Silva, P.G.C., Dias, E., Leal, E. & Barata, F. 2025.  White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis feeding on a dead dolphin.  Marine Ornithology 53: 185-187.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 25 April 2025

Personal note:  My 33-year-old paper gets cited in a journal that I founded and then was editing.

Cooper, J., Fourie, A. & Klages, N.T.W. 1992.  The diet of the White chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis at sub-Antarctic Marion Island.  Marine Ornithology 20: 17-24.