Birds of Costa Rica - Hydrobates


Band-rumped Storm Petrel (Hydrobates castro) North Carolina, United States
Photograph by Julio Mulero Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share the file for non-commercial purposes under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

White rump extends to flanks.


Leach's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) Vulnerable Canary Islands, Spain
Photograph by Stephen A. Daly © All Rights Reserved.

May or may not have a V-shaped white band across rump that does not reach the tail. Note forked tail.


Black Storm Petrel (Hydrobates melania) California, United States Northern migrant to tropical waters (Sept. to April), and a bit larger than other storm petrels.
Photograph by Julio Mulero Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share the file for non-commercial purposes under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

Northern migrant to tropical waters (Sept. to April), and a bit larger than other storm petrels at 22 cm..


Least Storm Petrel (Hydrobates microsoma) Spring Valley Lake, California,
Photograph by Matt Grube © All Rights Reserved.

Smallest storm petrel at around 16 cm.. Dark brown with no white rump, similar in coloration to larger Black Storm Petrel, or Markham's Storm Petrel.


Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel (Hydrobates tethys) Spring Valley Lake, California,
Photograph by Matt Grube © All Rights Reserved.

Note white rump extends almost to the edge of the tail, and short legs that do not extend past the tail in flight.