Fairly small and very distinctively patterned petrel of cool southern waters; regular migrant north to Humboldt Current. A “professional” ship follower in the Southern Ocean, often in groups that circle a vessel for hours. Extent of white spotting on upperparts rather variable, but no other petrel has this white-spattered or “painted” pattern, which gives rise to its other common name—Pintado Petrel; pintado means painted in Spanish and is also an anagram of the genus name, Daption.