Being the only light-colored PETRELS in North America they are easily identified as far as they can be discovered. McGregor tells of numbers attracted to the ships' lights while anchored in fog off one of the Aleutian Islands. Like gray moths they fluttered around, striking shrouds and spars and falling to the deck where a tame fox, cat and crew gathered them.
Their call is a soft, eerie twitter or squeaking notes when disturbed in their burrows.
They are widely distributed in North Pacific ocean, and tho preyed upon by foxes, crows, gulls and other enemies, are still common in those lonely seas.
North Pacific ocean, south along coast to southern California.