[2] The species is named for biologist Dr Luis Monteiro, who was the first to notice morphological and acoustic differences between the two seasonal populations from the Azores.

[6] The species is thought to forage in the local seas all year round, possibly near the breeding sites; this is in contrast to the band-rumped storm petrel, which disperses to the West Atlantic.

The diet of Monteiro's storm-petrel is unknown, but analyses of stable isotopes in the feathers suggest that it differs from that of the band-rumped storm petrel as well.

[1][2] Monteiro's storm-petrels feed at the sea surface, but they can also forage underwater by performing shallow dives of 85 centimetres (33 in) on average.

[7] The species has a low reproductive output due to competition with other burrowing petrels, and some years, the young and some prospectors are preyed upon by the long-eared owl.