This small petrel, not much larger than a House Martin and very similar in appearance, is extremely pelagic, spending most of its life at sea.
The Storm Petrel only comes to land during the summer months, making its breeding attempts on offshore islands and a few isolated headlands. Although it has an estimated breeding population in the UK of around 30,000 pairs, this is an extremely difficult species to see during the breeding season, only coming to land during the hours of darkness often staying at sea on bright moonlit nights.
Several Storm Petrel breeding colonies have been the subject of detailed study, with ringing data demonstrating that this is a long-lived bird, with some individuals living for over 30 years.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Storm Petrel
Petrels are seldom-seen, unfamiliar birds to many of us, but both species: Storm Petrel and Leach's Petrel are actually very common breeding birds and frequently encountered off our shores during passage. Both are small black and white birds that seem to defy the rough seas they are often encountered in. How can we tell the two species apart?
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Storm Petrels are pelagic and nest underground, hence they are difficult to survey and the first reliable population estimates were made during the 1998–2002 Census (Seabird 2000) when tape-playback techniques were available to count occupied burrows. Until the results of the Seabirds Count (2015–2021) have been published the recent trend of the species is uncertain, although data available from some colonies suggest numbers have increased, including a doubling of the population at the largest colony on Mousa (JNCC 2022)
Storm Petrels breed on remote, small, rat-free, offshore islands on the Atlantic fringe of north and west Britain and Ireland from Shetland to Borhou in the Channel Islands. During the winter period of Bird Atlas 2007–11 they were recorded from 50 10-km squares, mostly along the North Sea coast and off southwest England.
Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Storm Petrel is a localised breeder present during the breeding season and recorded occasionally during autumn seawatching.
Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland
Encountered in:
Winter (Nov-Feb); Spring (Mar-Apr); Summer (May-Jul); Autumn (Aug-Oct)
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Storm Petrel, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
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