Hydrobates markhami
Markham's Storm Petrel (*Hydrobates markhami*) is a medium-sized, enigmatic pelagic seabird of the eastern Pacific, measuring approximately 23-25 cm in length with a wingspan of 46-50 cm and weighing 40-60g. Its plumage is uniformly sooty brown-black, offering excellent camouflage against the vast ocean. A key, albeit sometimes subtle, identification feature is a faint pale carpal bar on the upperwing, occasionally complemented by a pale secondary covert band. Taxonomically, it belongs to the...
This species inhabits the cold, productive upwelling waters of the Humboldt Current in the eastern Pacific. It breeds colonially on arid offshore islands and coastal deserts, often in burrows dug several kilometers inland.
The diet of Markham's Storm Petrel consists primarily of small crustaceans (e.g., copepods, krill), small fish, and squid, often scavenged from the ocean surface. It employs a surface-feeding strategy, including dipping and pattering over the water to seize prey.
Markham's Storm Petrel is predominantly pelagic, spending its life at sea outside the breeding season, tirelessly patrolling the ocean surface. At breeding colonies, typically located in extremely arid coastal deserts or offshore islands, they are strictly nocturnal, arriving and departing under ...
Markham's Storm Petrel is endemic to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its known breeding range is restricted to arid coastal areas and offshore islands of Peru and northern Chile, notably colonies within the Atacama Desert region and islands such as Chincha, Ballestas, and Mazorca. After breeding, thes...
Least Concern
- Markham's Storm Petrels breed exclusively at night to avoid avian predators, making their colonies notoriously difficult to study. - Their breeding colonies can be found in some of the world's driest places, such as the Atacama Desert, with nests dug kilometers inland. - Like other tubenoses, t...