Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus   [Linnaeus, 1758]

Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

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Order: Procellariiformes Family: Hydrobatidae
BTO Codes: TM, STOPE EURING No: 520
Number in Britain: 26 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Migrant Breeder
Subspecies: Monotypic
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Length: 16 cm Wingspan: 38 cm Weight: M/F: 27 g    
Scientific name from: Gr.: hudro=water + baino=to tread and Gr.: pelagos=the open sea
World Distribution: BREEDS: is of n&w Europe, RANGES: e Atlantic & s Indian oceans
Habitat: Pelagic, breeds in island burrows & crevices
Diet: Mainly surface plankton, small fish, feeds from water surface without alighting
TitBit: Storm Petrels may nest in burrows or holes in stone walls and as they are nocturnal the only way to census them is to play a call (a delightful purring) at a hole and see if a nesting bird responds.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Local Atlases)   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 26 thousand pairs in 1998-02
    First Record: 1676
    Latest Survey: Mitchell, P.I. et al. (2004) Seabird populations of Britain and Ireland Poyser, London
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Localised Breeding Population,
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern:
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 430 to 510 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(I), Bern(II)
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Seabird 2000 (warning: link to large pdf)

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 28 x 21 mm Egg Weight: 6.8 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 5
Clutch Size: 1 eggs
Incubation: 38- 50 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 56 - 73days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: 11711 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: 0.870       
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 4 years Typical Lifespan: 11 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 35 years 9 months 27 days (set in 2010)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

Biometrics

Ring Size: A2 (pulli B2o or A2)
Wing Length Adult: 122.6 ± 3.0 Range 118 - 127 mm, N =22122
Juvenile: 123.1 ± 3.1 119 - 127 mm, N =22
Male: 121.8 ± 2.4 117 - 126 mm, N =126
Female: 122.4 ± 2.5 118 - 126 mm, N =391
Weight Adult: 25.57 ± 4.91 Range 22.50 - 29.10 g , N =20482
Juvenile: 24.80 ± 2.57 20.80 - 29.40 g , N =21
Male: 25.65 ± 2.16 22.40 - 29.90 g , N =109
Female: 27.08 ± 2.72 23.20 - 32.00 g , N =335
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

European Storm Petrel
Gaelic: Annlag-fairge Welsh: Pedryn Drycin
Danish: Lille stormsvale Dutch: Stormvogeltje
Finnish: Merikeiju French: Pétrel tempête
German: Sturmschwalbe Hungarian: Viharfecske
Icelandic: Stormsvala Irish: Guairdeall
Italian: Uccello delle tempeste Norwegian: Havsvale
Polish: Nawalnik burzowy Portuguese: Paínho-de-cauda-quadrada
Spanish: Paiño común Swedish: Stormsvala
Local Names:Little Peter, Ala Mootie

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Brooke, M. de L. 2004 Albatrosses and petrels across the world Oxford University Press, Oxford [598.44 BRO]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead