It is not known whom the specific epithet lalandii commemorates, although it may be the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande.
A prime food for these birds is the cape rock lobster Jasus lalandii, and their feeding distribution closely matches the kelp beds where these lobsters live, though the birds will also take a variety of other crustacean and fish prey, notably Pacific goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus.