From Opus

Alternative name: Madeiran Storm-Petrel
Includes Cape Verde Storm-Petrel; Monteiro's Storm-Petrel

Photo by Glen Tepke
Atlantic near Hydrographer Canyon, south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA, August 2005

Oceanodroma castro

[edit] Identification

19-21cm

• Sooty-brown plumage
• Narrow, rectangular, white rump patch
• Slightly forked tail
• Dark bill with tube on top.

[edit] Similar Species

Leach's Storm-Petrel:

[edit] Distribution

Breeds on the Azores and Madeira in the Atlantic, and the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific. Otherwise pelagic.

[edit] Taxonomy

As treated here, this taxon includes three subspecies^[1]:

• castro
• jabejabe
• monteiroi

These have all been accepted as different species by Clements (if followed, O. jabejabe becomes Cape Verde Storm-Petrel and O. monteiroi Monteiro’s Storm-Petrel). Additionally, there may be two additional taxons waiting to be described. Opus awaits a position from further world wide checklists.

[edit] Habitat

Pelagic.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Flight

Quick wing beats between glides on bowed wings.

[edit] Breeding

It nests in colonies close to the sea in rock crevices and lays a single white egg. Nests are visited only at night.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes invertebrates, small vertebrates and sometimes carrion.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.4.xls/view.
2. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
4. USGS

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages