One of the 2 storm petrels on WAnimals
Birds · Procellariiformes · Hydrobatidae
European Storm-Petrel
Hydrobates pelagicus
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The European storm petrel is the smallest seabird in Europe: it weighs less than thirty grams, little more than a sparrow, and spends its life on the open sea, flying just above the waves with its legs dangling. It breeds in crevices and scree on islets in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and enters the colony only on moonless nights. It lives extraordinarily long for its size: ringed birds have passed thirty years.
Weight
23 g – 29 g
Size
14 cm – 18 cm
Life expectancy
33 years
