As in all members of the order Procellariiformes, this nostril configuration enables an exceptionally acute sense of smell, which the birds use to locate food and nest sites in the dark.

Cook's petrel feeds mostly on fish and squid, with some crustaceans taken[citation needed].

[3] It nests in burrows and rock crevices, preferring sites on thickly forested ridges.

On Great Barrier Island, introduced pigs, dogs, rats and cats attack nests and burrows, as do native weka (a flightless rail), preying on eggs and nestlings and reducing the population from an estimated 20,000 to 100[citation needed].

[4] Cook's petrel migrates to the Pacific Ocean from New Zealand when it is not breeding.