Other names
Madeiran Storm-petrel is probably a newer name for this bird.  Expect boat announcers to call it Band-rumped for some time.

Breeding
Northern hemisphere breeder so breeds in our summer. In the eastern Atlantic on small islands near St.Helena, Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands, and off Portugal.  Also in the Pacific. 

Where To See
The August 2004 BBC canyons trip identified one Band-rumped Storm-petrel.  More commonly seen on pelagic trips from North Carolina.  Usually seen far offshore.

Identification
Feeds alone or in small groups.Patters feet on surface.  Attracted to chum and behaps fish oil. Looks much like Wilson's Storm-petrel.  Feet do not trail behind the tail when flying.

European Storm-petrel

Breeding
Breeds on rat free island off Norway, Faeroe Islands, Iceland, Britain, Ireland, in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. 

The author encounted this bird breeding in a stone tower called a broch on the Island Mousa near Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.

Tom Jamieson info@mousaboattrips.co.uk or www.mousaboattrips.co.uk runs a boat trip to Mousa. From May to July there is an evening boat that leaves at 11 PM and returns at 1 AM. With a torch (flashlight) you walk to the broch to see the Storm-petrels entering and leaving their nests. After the first of July it stays light much longer and he does not make the night trips.

On August 3, I went on a day trip which left at 12:30 in the afternoon and returned at 5 PM. We walked to the broch which is an Iron Age structure unique to Scotland. A broch is a short double walled tower with a staircase between the walls. Archeologist are not quite sure why they were built or what they were for. I climbed to the top and on the way up heard one of the Storm-petrels making a soft purring noise within the wall.

Disburses in the Atlantic south to Brazil primarily on the eastern side.

Where To See
This bird is only rarely been seen in waters off New England and Canada and is likely to be overlooked due to the abundance of Wilson's Storm-petrels. Advanced birders should learn the characteristics that distinguish the bird from Wilson's Storm-petrels and be on the lookout especially on offshore trips. Since it is a northern hemisphere breeder it is most likely to be seen in fall and early spring.

Identification
Smaller than Leach's of Band-rumped Storm-petrels.  Only slightly smaller than Wilson's.  Has a distinct white line on underwing.  Upper wing more lightly marked.  When flying feet do not protrude beyond tail.  Otherwise much like Wilson's.

Found in groups.  Patters on the water with wings raised above the horizontal in a steeper V than Wilsons. Attracted to fish oil and known to follow fishing boats.
 

Reference for this page: Albatrosses, Petrels & Shearwaters of the World by Derek Onley and Paul Scofield

Page author: Emmalee Tarry