A seabird that looks like it was painted by someone who ran out of grey and made do with black and white instead. The Cape petrel is strikingly patterned: a black-and-white chequered back, a dark brown head, white underparts, and a white patch on each wing. It is the most distinctive of the Southern Ocean petrels. You cannot mistake it for anything else. The name comes from the Cape of Good Hope, where early naturalists first collected it. The bird itself has no loyalty to that location. It ranges across the entire Southern Ocean, from South America to New Zealand, from the subtropics to the edge of the ice. It feeds on krill, fish, squid, and carrion. It follows ships and whales, scavenging offal and scraps. In the nineteenth century, sailors called them 'Cape pigeons' because of their piebald plumage and their habit of following vessels for days. The name stuck. The birds kept following. The flight is buoyant and erratic, with rapid wingbeats and sudden banks. A Cape petrel in a storm is in its element. It rides the wind, tilting from one gust to the next, never landing. When the weather is calm, it sits on the water, resting, waiting for the wind to return. Breeding takes it to remote islands across the Southern Ocean. The nest is a shallow scrape in rock crevices or under boulders, lined with pebbles and shell fragments. A single white egg. Both parents share incubation. The chick is fed on regurgitated krill and stomach oil, fledging after about six weeks. The colonies are noisy. The birds call constantly, a harsh, chattering sound that echoes off the cliffs. They also have a defensive trick. When threatened, a Cape petrel spits stomach oil. The oil is foul-smelling and sticky. It mats feathers. It can kill a predator that cannot clean itself. An effective deterrent. In New Zealand waters, Cape petrels are common around the subantarctic islands. They breed on the Antipodes, the Aucklands, Campbell, and the Chathams. They are rare north of the subtropical convergence. A few turn up off the South Island coast each winter. Wandering birds. Checking things out. The chequered back fades with age. Older birds have less contrast, more wear. They look tired. They have earned it.