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Leach’s Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa   [Vieillot, 1818]
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   Page updated:16-January-2013
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: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
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.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme
Distribution: Atlas Maps   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 48 thousand pairs in 1998-02
    First Record: St Kilda, 1818
    Latest Survey: Mitchell, P.I. et al. (2004) Seabird populations of Britain and Ireland Poyser, London
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Localised Breeding Population, Important Breeding Population
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: leucorhoa AMBER (European Concern)
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: Results from BirdTrack
Summary text from Seabird 2000 (warning: link to large pdf)

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 - 70days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.880       
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 5 years Typical Lifespan: 13 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 29 years 11 months 5 days (set in 2002)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: B2
Wing Length Adult: 160.7 ± 3.9     Range 148.0 - 174.0 mm, (N = 998)
Juvenile: 161.6 ± 3.1     Range 156.0 - 169.0 mm, (N = 14)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: 161.0 ± 2.6     Range 154.0 - 167.0 mm, (N = 25)
Weight Adult: 43.78 ± 2.81 Range 31.80 - 55.30 g , (N =929)
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: 48.11 ± 4.68 Range 38.50 - 55.30 g , (N =25)
Seasonal: Summer 43.83 ± 3.02 (N = 1806)   Autumn 43.15 ± 2.53 (N = 144)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Leach's Storm 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

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
Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
BOU Register of Avian Theses entry