This seabird has a dark upper surface and a white belly. Outside the breeding season it spends time at sea, feeding on squid and other prey near the surface. Breeding areas differ between subspecies.
The upperparts are dark and the underparts are white, giving a clear contrast in flight over the ocean.
Outside the breeding season it is pelagic and feeds on squid and other prey near the sea surface. One subspecies breeds from Fiji to the Gambier Islands; the other breeds in New Caledonia.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.