Ashy Storm-Petrel

Oceanodroma homochroaOrder: PROCELLARIIFORMES Family: Storm-Petrels (Hydrobatidae)

Codes: Common Name: ASSP Scientific Name: OCEHOM ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174634

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Overview

Ashy Storm-Petrel: Small seabird, gray-black overall, dark bill, forked tail. Gray wash on underwing coverts are visible at close range. Legs and feet are dark gray. Unlike most storm-petrels, it doesn't travel far from colonies after breeding. Flight is fluttering and direct on shallow wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Ashy Storm-Petrel: Breeds on islands from northern California south to northern Baja California. Pelagic, comes ashore only to breed.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Voice Text

Generally silent.

Interesting Facts

The Ashy Storm-petrel is a long-lived bird, a banded individual has been recorded living at least 31 years.

Both its common and scientific name come from its coloration, one authority has suggested naming it Coues's Storm Petrel after the man that described the species, Elliott Coues.

Unlike most other species of storm-petrel, they do not travel far from their colonies after breeding, and the breeding season is spread out over most of the year.

The nocturnal nature of this species and its hidden nests make it difficult to assess population trends. Long-term records for the Farallon Islands do not seem to show significant changes from the 1880's to 1970.

Bird Term Glossary

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Ashy Storm-Petrel

● Song: Generally silent.

● Foraging & Feeding: Ashy Storm-Petrel: Feeds on small fish, squid, and crustaceans; forages by snatching prey from the ocean surface while in flight, usually at night.

● Breeding & nesting: Ashy Storm-Petrel: One white egg, sometimes with faint red brown spots, is laid in a burrow or under rocks or a bush. Incubation ranges from 44 to 45 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Ashy Storm-Petrel: Black Storm-Petrel is larger and has deeper wing beats. Least Storm-Petrel is smaller and has shorter, wedge-shaped tail.

Flight Pattern

Fluttering direct flight pattern with shallow wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Ashy Storm-Petrel: Breeds on islands from northern California south to northern Baja California. Pelagic, comes ashore only to breed.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight1.3 Ounces

Gull-like Body

Pelagic

The pelagic is a type of bird whose habitat is on the open ocean rather than in a coastal region or on inland bodies of water (lakes, rivers). An example of a pelagic bird is the blacklegged kittiwake.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America