The Mottled Petrel (Pterodroma inexpectata) is much reduced from its former numbers. Due to the clearing of forests and predation by introduced mammals, it no longer breeds on the two main islands of New Zealand but is now restricted to a few islands south and east of the South Island, principally the little ones near Stewart Island and the Snares Islands (Warham et al. 1977). Its confinement to so few sites led these authors to express concern for the future of the species. They went on to summarize what is known of the species’ terrestrial (i.e., breeding) biology. Here we summarize information on its oceanic distribution.
We report for the first time several occurrences of Mottled Petrels in California and Washington, and summarize some recent records from other areas along the North American Pacific Coast. We also summarize the diffuse literature and unpublished observations on its oceanic occurrence, and from this establish its oceanic range and seasonal movements.