Birds of the World - Hydrobates


Band-rumped Storm Petrel (Hydrobates castro) Range: PO, AO: Azores (cold-season breeding), Madeira (hot-season breeding), Desertas, Salvage, Canary and Cape Verde is. (n to s Macaronesia, w of n Africa); Berlengas Is. (just w of c Portugal); islands off St. Helena (tropical se Atlantic Ocean), Boatswainbird I. (ju 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.

No Image
Ainley's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates cheimomnestes) Vulnerable Range: PO: winter breeder, is. Negro, Afuera and Gargoyle Rocks, off Guadalupe I. (w of Baja California, nw Mexico)

Split from Leach's Storm Petrel. Breeds on islands off west Mexico at a different time than Townsend's Storm Petrel (also split). Does not have white rump, but some Leach's also do not.


Fork-tailed Storm Petrel (Hydrobates furcatus) Range: PO: islands off n Kuril and Commander Is. (se Russia), Aleutian Is., and Gulf of Alaska to n California Pacifica Municipal Pier, California,
Photograph by Aaron Maizlish Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 License. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work, and to adapt the work under the following conditions: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work) If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.


Ashy Storm Petrel (Hydrobates homochroa) Endangered Range: PO: islands of Van Damme Cove (Mendocino Co.); Bird Rock (Pt. Reyes), and Farallon Is. (w of c California); Channel Is. (w of s California); Coronado Is. and I. de Todos Santos (w of nw Baja California, nw Mexico) Farallon Islands, California, United States
Photograph by Christopher Adler © All Rights Reserved.

Note forked tail, medium size, and ashy body color.


Ringed Storm Petrel (Hydrobates hornbyi) Near Threatened Range: PO: Atacama Desert, mostly in mts. 85 km inland (n Chile) Lima, Peru
Photograph by Graham Ekins © All Rights Reserved.


Ringed Storm Petrel (Hydrobates hornbyi) Near Threatened Range: PO: Atacama Desert, mostly in mts. 85 km inland (n Chile) Lima, Peru
Photograph by Graham Ekins © All Rights Reserved.

Unlike most Storm Petrels, breeds on mainland Peru and perhaps Chile. Named for distinctive ring around neck. Was called Hornby's Storm Petrel.

No Image
Cape Verde Storm Petrel (Hydrobates jabejabe) Range: AO: is. Branco, Raso, off Boavista, and Rombo (ne, ec, and sw Cape Verde Is.; s Macaronesia, w of nw Africa)


Leach's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) Vulnerable Range: PO, AO: ne Atlantic from s Iceland, Faroe Is., c Norway, Ireland and Scotland; nw Atlantic from s Labrador to Massachusetts; nw Pacific from ne Russia and ne Japan to Alaska and n, c Baja California (nw Mexico); also off sw Africa 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.


Markham's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates markhami) Near Threatened Range: PO: I. San Gallan and I. Independencia (=La Vieja, w and s of Paracas Pen., sc Peru), Atacama Desert to mts. 50 km inland between Arica and s of Iquique (n Chile) Peru
Photograph by Graham Ekins © All Rights Reserved.

Similar to Black Storm Petrel but non-migratory and a bit browner.

No Image
Matsudaira's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates matsudairae) Vulnerable Range: IO, PO: Kita-Iwojima and Minami-Iwojima (Iwo=Volcano Is., s of Ogasawara=Bonin Is., s of Japan)


Black Storm Petrel (Hydrobates melania) Range: PO: Channel Is. (w of s California), Is. de San Benito (w of c Baja California), Roca Consag, Isla San Luis, Isla Partida and Isla Cardonosa Este (e of n, nc, c Baja California, Gulf of California) 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) Range: PO: Is. de San Benito (w of c Baja California), Roca Consag, Isla San Luis, I. Partida and I. Cardonosa Este (e of n, nc, c Baja California, Gulf of California) 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.

No Image
Swinhoe's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates monorhis) Near Threatened Range: IO, PO: Verkhovsky and Karamzhin is. and satellite islets (sw of Vladivostok, Russia), off Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu (c Japan), Korean Pen., off Shandong and Guangdong (e China) and Taiwan; possibly also Macaronesia (off nw Africa)

No Image
Monteiro's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates monteiroi) Vulnerable Range: AO: hot-season breeding Azores: is. da Praia and de Baixo (e, se of Graciosa, nc Azores, n Macaronesia, w of Portugal)


European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) Range: AO: islets of ne North Atlantic from s Iceland and c Norway to n Spain, Canary Is. (c Macaronesia, w of nw Africa), w Africa, and w, nc Mediterranean Sea South Africa
Photograph by Graham Searll © All Rights Reserved.

No Image
Townsend's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates socorroensis) Endangered Range: PO: summer breeder, is. Negro and Afuera, off Guadalupe I. (w of s Baja California, nw Mexico)

Split from Leach's Storm Petrel. Breeds on islands off west Mexico. Very similar to Leach's Storm Petrel.


Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel (Hydrobates tethys) Range: PO: islands of n Galápagos and off coasts of c Peru and nc Chile 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.

No Image
Tristram's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates tristrami) Range: PO: Izu, Ogasawara (=Bonin) and formerly Iwo (=Volcano) is. (s of Japan), and Northwestern Hawaiian Is.