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Leach’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa   [Vieillot, 1818]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Hydrobatidae
BTO Codes: TL , LEAPE EURING No: 550
Number in Britain: 48 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Localised
Global: Least Concern
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Status in UK: (A)  Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: leucorhoa recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 20 cm Wingspan: 46 cm Weight: M/F: 45 g    
Scientific name from: Gr.: okeanus + dromos=running and Gr.: leukos + orrhos=rump
World Distribution: BREEDS: is of n Atlantic & n Pacific, RANGES: Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Habitat: Pelagic, breeds in island burrows
Diet: Mainly surface plankton, small fish, feeds from water surface without alighting
TitBit: Like other seabirds storm-petrels are prone to 'wrecks' when strong gales blow many birds inshore - 6,700 casualties recorded following gales in November 1952  
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Population and Distribution
Population Trend: No population trend available
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Help with the New Atlas)   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 48 thousand pairs in 1998-02
    First Record: 1818
    Latest Survey: Mitchell, P.I. et al. (2004) Seabird populations of Britain and Ireland Poyser, London
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 120 to 220 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(I), WBD(I), Bern(II)
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Seabird 2000 (warning: link to large pdf)
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Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 33 x 24 mm Egg Weight: 10.1 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 1
Clutch Size: 1 eggs
Incubation: 41 - 42 days by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 63 - 70 days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1

Number Ringed: 130
Adult Survival: 0.75 Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 5 years Typical Lifespan: 8 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 29yr11m
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Biometrics
Ring Size: B2
Wing Length Sexually dimorphic (male much larger than female)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: 160.4 ± 2.6 157 - 164 mm, N =25
Weight Sexually dimorphic (male much larger than female)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: 48.63 ± 4.68 . 39.80 - 53.30 g , N =25
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
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Other Names
Leach's Petrel
Gaelic: Gobhlan-mara Welsh: Pedryn Gynffon-fforchog
Danish: Stor stormsvale Dutch: Vaal stormvogeltje
Finnish: Myrskykeiju French: Pétrel culblanc
German: Wellenläufer Hungarian: Villás viharfecske
Icelandic: Sjósvala Irish: Guairdeall Gabhlach
Italian: Uccello delle tempeste codaforcuta Norwegian: Stormsvale
Polish: Nawalnik duzy Portuguese: Paínho-de-cauda-forcada
Spanish: Paiño de Leach Swedish: Klykstjärtad stormsvala
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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:
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
BOU Register of Avian Theses entry
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005
Find more papers on Google Scholar
Find more papers on Scirus

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BirdWeb logo, click to go to BirdWeb BirdFacts home | BTO Home
Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.22, Oct 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

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