Birds · Procellariiformes · Hydrobatidae

European Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates pelagicus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

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

Lifespan

33 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanIslandsCarnivore Nocturnal Variable activity Colonial Bird Ocean Islands

21countries 19parks1same family

Fun facts

It weighs less than thirty grams and can live more than thirty years: one of the greatest mismatches between size and longevity of any bird.
It enters the colony only on the darkest nights, and pairs find one another among thousands of identical crevices by smell and by a purring call given from inside the nest for hours on end.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: The open sea of the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean; it breeds in crevices on predator-free rocky islets
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 35 days
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/