Wilson's Storm Petrel

Alternative names: Wilson's Shearwater; Mother Carey's Chickens

Oceanites oceanicus

Photo by Joe Cockram.
Photo taken: Atlantic Ocean, not too far from Scilly.

Identification

Length 7.25" (18 cm), wingspan 16-18" (41-46 cm). Dark blackish brown except for bold U-shaped white rump patch that extends onto flanks, pale carpal bars and underwings. Square tail may appear notched. Long legs extend beyond tail in flight. Relatively short wings. Fluttery, swallow-like flight. Feeding behavior of tapping surface of water with toes while hovering is distinctive.

Distribution

It breeds on the Antarctic coastlines and nearby islands such as the South Shetland Islands as well as in southern Chile. Common migrant in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

Two subspecies are recognized:

• oceanicus is a mainly temperate species mostly limited to the southern hemisphere
• exasperatus is a high arctic breeder that is highly migratory, routinely found in the northern hemisphere in southern winter

Habitat

Open sea.

Behaviour

The diet includes planktonic food items picked from the ocean surface.

It is nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas.

References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Wilson's Storm Petrel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Wilson%27s_Storm_Petrel

External Links

Search for photos of Wilson's Storm Petrel in the gallery

• View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages