The Herald petrel nests on oceanic islands and atolls, on cliff ledges, ridges or rocky slopes.

In May 2007, a Herald petrel tagged on Raine Island in 1984 was observed off the coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

[3] In August 2017, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) staff confirmed a Herald petrel chick had hatched on Raine Island after sighting an adult Herald petrel taking care of a single egg in a nest in June 2017.

[5] It is listed as critically endangered under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), effective July 2002, and under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 (November 2021 list).

While there was previously a recovery plan in effect for the species from 2005 to 2015, as it has a high level of protection from government agencies, with relatively few, well-managed threats on the Raine Island population, there is no recovery plan operational as of July 2022[update].