Pelagodroma marina
The White-faced Storm Petrel (Pelagodroma marina) is a small, enigmatic seabird renowned for its distinctive appearance and unique foraging style. Measuring approximately 19-21 cm in length with a wingspan of 40-46 cm and weighing 40-60 grams, this species is easily identified by its striking white face, contrasting dark eye patch, and a prominent dark cap extending to its nape. Its back and upperwings are grey-brown, complemented by a white rump and a dark, slightly forked tail, while its un...
Primarily a pelagic species, spending most of its life at sea over deep ocean waters, but breeds exclusively on remote oceanic islands and coastal islets, often nesting in burrows under dense vegetation or among rocks.
Feeds predominantly on small crustaceans, particularly copepods and amphipods, small fish larvae, and cephalopods, often concentrating on oily scraps and droplets found on the ocean's surface.
White-faced Storm Petrels are largely nocturnal on their breeding grounds to avoid aerial predators, emerging from burrows only after dark. At sea, they are diurnal, engaging in their distinctive foraging method: 'walking' or pattering their long, yellow-webbed feet on the water's surface while d...
The White-faced Storm Petrel boasts a widespread but fragmented breeding distribution across the temperate and subtropical Southern Hemisphere, encompassing islands in the South Atlantic, South Indian, and South Pacific Oceans. Key breeding colonies include Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, and the...
Least Concern
- The genus name 'Pelagodroma' translates to 'sea-runner,' a direct reference to its unique foraging behavior where it appears to walk on the water's surface. - It possesses the longest legs relative to body size of any storm petrel, an adaptation crucial for its distinctive 'foot-pattering' fora...