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European Storm Petrel | Hydrobates pelagicus
Stormvogeltje | Paíño Europeo
The European Storm Petrel is the smallest seabird in the waters of southern Africa, barely larger than a sparrow. It breeds on rocky islands in the north-east Atlantic and the Mediterranean and winters in large numbers in the cold Benguela Current off Namibia and South Africa.
Voice
Silent at sea. In the breeding colony a long, purring churr from the burrows, broken by a short hiccup, urrrrrrr-chikka, and in flight a squeaky terr-chik.
Recording: David Boyle — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · converted to mono · xeno-canto
Identification
About 15 cm, sooty black with a bright white rump that extends slightly onto the sides of the undertail coverts. The best feature is a narrow but striking white stripe along the underwing coverts; on the upperwing a pale bar is absent or only faint. The wings are short and rounded, the tail is square and the feet do not reach beyond the tail tip. The sexes are alike. The flight is fast and fluttering, with short glides low over the waves, recalling a bat or a swallow.
Confusion species
Wilson's Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) is slightly larger, has a pale upperwing bar, no white stripe on the underwing and feet projecting beyond the tail. Leach's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) and Band-Rumped Storm Petrel (Hydrobates castro) are clearly larger, with longer wings, a pale upperwing bar and a more gliding flight.
Habitat
Open sea over the continental shelf, especially in cool, productive upwelling areas. Follows ships and feeds on small crustaceans, fish larvae and offal at the surface, often in groups. Breeds in rock crevices, stone walls and burrows on predator-free islands.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of southern Africa.
Range and movements
At sea off Namibia and the west and south coasts of South Africa, where the main wintering area of the species lies; in smaller numbers off Angola and the Eastern Cape, and rare off KwaZulu-Natal. Breeds from Iceland and Norway through the British Isles and France to the Canary Islands, and in the Mediterranean.
- Summer visitor (c. Oct–Mar)
- Passage (Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov)
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
On pelagic trips from Cape Town in the austral summer sometimes hundreds at a time at the trawlers, mixed with Wilson's Storm Petrels. Compare size, wing shape and the white underwing stripe. From land only after severe storms, for example in Table Bay or Walvis Bay.
Conservation status
Not threatened; the world population is estimated at a few hundred thousand pairs. Introduced rats and cats on breeding islands are the main threat; eradication projects have allowed some colonies to recover. Oil pollution in the wintering area is a risk.
Scientific name
Hydrobates pelagicus | (Linnaeus, 1758)
Linnaeus described the species in 1758 as Procellaria pelagica; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Hydrobates was introduced in 1822 by Boie. Hydrobates is Greek, from hudro- 'water' and batēs 'walker': 'water walker'. pelagicus comes from Greek pelagos 'open sea' and means 'of the high seas'. The specimen the first description was based on came from the coast of Sweden.