Although burrow-nesting petrels are the most abundant group of seabirds in the Southern Ocean, their global populations are poorly known, because most species breed on remote islands. For example, there are no accurate estimates for Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera populations at any of its major breeding sites. Moreover, current global population estimates for Great-winged Petrels of approximately 1.5 million birds include counts of the closely related Grey-faced Petrel P. gouldi, which is now recognised as a different species. On sub-Antarctic Marion Island, Great-winged Petrel burrows found within random strip transects were counted and then burrow densities were extrapolated by GIS-derived habitat attributes to generate an island-wide burrow estimate (33 000 burrows). Burrow occupancy rates at the start of incubation averaged 48 ± 29% (range 10–94%) during one-off surveys at ten sites around the island, and repeat surveys found at least 42% of burrows were occupied by breeders. This suggests there were approximately 14 000 occupied burrows (95% CI 9 500–18 500) on Marion Island in 2015. Collating data from other breeding sites suggests that the global breeding population is perhaps 100 000–150 000 pairs (400 000–600 000 birds).

尽管洞穴巢海燕是南大洋中最丰富的海鸟群，但它们的全球种群却鲜为人知，因为大多数物种都在偏远的岛屿上繁殖。例如，在其任何一个主要繁殖地点，都没有对大翅海燕鸥翼龙大型种群的准确估计。此外，目前全球约有150万只大翅海燕的人口估计包括紧密相关的灰面海燕P. gouldi，现在被认为是不同的物种。在南极洲马里恩岛上，对在随机条带样带中发现的大翅海燕洞穴进行了计数，然后根据GIS衍生的栖息地属性推断洞穴密度，从而得出全岛范围的洞穴估计数（3.3万个洞穴）。孵化开始时，在岛上十个地点的一次性调查中，洞穴的平均占有率为48±29％（范围10–94％），重复调查发现育种者至少占据了42％的洞穴。这表明，2015年马里恩岛上大约有14000处洞穴（95％CI 9500-18500）。其他繁殖地点的整理数据表明，全球繁殖种群可能是10万至15万对（40万至600万） 000只鸟）。