Overview

White-faced Storm-Petrel: The only Atlantic storm-petrel with the combination of dark gray upperparts and white underparts with a dark cap and eyeline. Long black legs trail behind squared tail in flight. Webbing between toes is yellow. Alternates rapid, shallow wing beats with stiff-winged glides.

White-faced Storm-Petrel: This species breeds and roams widely in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and throughout the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. It has been very rarely observed along the Atlantic Coast of North America during its migration, and has been recorded from Main south to North Carolina.

Voice Text

Generally silent

• The White-faced Storm-Petrel was first described in 1790 by John Latham, an English physician, naturalist and author. One of the most noticeable characteristics of this bird is the way it bounces off the water while feeding.
• It is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights.
• Often described as riding a pogo stick, it touches the water and then bounds up, only to hit the water again like a bouncing basketball.

Southern Storm-Petrels (Oceanitidae)

ORDER

A taxonomic order of tube-nosed seabirds, the PROCELLARIIFORMES (pronounced pro-sel-lehr-EYE-ih-FOR-meez) includes storm-petrels.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

In the Oceanitidae are included three species of storm-petrels that are found in the oceans of the world.Wilson's, White-faced and Black-bellied.

NORTH AMERICA

Two species of storm-petrels ioccure in North American waters, the White-faced Storm-Petrel and Wilson’s Storm Petrel. The numerous Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, and the rare White-faced Storm-Petrel are members of this maritime family of southern Storm-Petrels.

KNOWN FOR

The Wilson’s Storm-Petrel is known for the peculiar behavior of pattering its feet on the surface of the water while foraging. Storm-petrels in general are known for being birds of the marine environment that only come to shore to breed.

PHYSICAL

Storm-petrels are small birds with long wings and medium to long tails that can be forked, square, or wedge-like in shape. Their legs are fairly long with webbed feet, and they have rounded pigeon-like heads. The bills of storm-petrels are small with a slightly hooked tip and tube-like nasal structures to expel excess salt.

COLORATION

Except for the gray and white White-faced Storm-Petrels, North American members of this family have dark, sooty brown or black plumages. The webs of the feet of the Wilson’s Storm-Petrel are yellow (a characteristic rarely visible in field conditions).

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Storm-Petrels are birds that only occur in salt-water habitats and can be found off both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. Usually, they are only encountered well offshore.

MIGRATION

Storm-Petrel, storm-petrels are very long distance migrants, the Wilson’s Storm-Petrel in particular making incredible voyages from its breeding grounds in the Antarctic to waters of the Northern Hemisphere.

HABITS

Storm-Petrels nest in colonies and often forage in flocks that fly low over the water to pick small sea creatures and carrion off the surface. Flight patterns differ by species; some pattering the surface of the water with their feet, others flying in zig-zags and other species with rapid, almost bat-like wing-beats.

CONSERVATION

The conservation status of the White-faced Storm-Petrel and Wilson’s Storm Petrel is least concern.

INTERESTING FACTS

Like other Procellariiformes, storm-petrels are long-lived for being small birds; some individuals have lived for over thirty years. They are also highly nocturnal when coming to land to avoid depredation by large gulls. The name “petrel” is thought to have been derived from the name “Peter,” and is an allusion between the story of that Christian saint walking on water and the birds’ doing the same thing while foraging.

Author

Artist

Samira Belous