- Hydrobates pelagicus
Identification
European Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus RANGE As a breeding bird this species is confined to the north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean with the bulk of the population in colonies on the west coasts of Britain and Ireland. There are smaller colonies to the north in southern Iceland; the Faroes and Lofoten Islands off Norway. Also breeds in the Channel Islands and off north-west and western France. In the Mediterranean there are colonies on the Balearics, and off southern Spain, Corsica and Sardinia, Sicily and Malta and there is a single colony in the Aegean. Breeding formerly occurred off Tunisia and has been reported from Canary Islands and Desertas but present status there is little-known. May also breed in Morocco.
Usually present at colonies April-September, rarely until October. A transequatorial migrant, the bulk of the Atlantic population winters at sea off Southern Africa. Mediterranean breeders may make less extensive movements. Recorded as a vagrant north to Svalbard, Sweden and Finland, east to Poland and inland in the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland. Vagrants also recorded in the Black Sea, on Cyprus and the Mediterranean coast of Israel and the Azores.
HABITAT Breeds colonially in burrows and rock crevices mainly on islands, sometimes on undisturbed mainland coasts. Nocturnal when visiting nest. Pelagic when not breeding and rarely seen from shore, only seen on land after being storm-driven.
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Hydrobates pelagicus (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
