Stomach contents of 68 black petrels,Procellaria parkinsoni,12 Westland black petrels,P. westlandica,and 3 white‐chinned petrels,P. aequinoctialis,were compared. The main prey were Cephalopoda and fish, and these indicated predominantly nocturnal feeding with selection for bioluminescent forms. There is marked latitudinal variation in the Cephalopoda available to these petrels.