European Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates pelagicus

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About the European Storm-Petrel

The European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus), also known as British storm petrel, or just storm petrel, is a species of seabird in the northern storm petrel family, Hydrobatidae. The small, square-tailed bird is entirely black except for a broad, white rump and a white band on the under wings, and it has a fluttering, bat-like flight. The large majority of the population breeds on islands off the northern coasts of Europe, with the greatest numbers in the Faroe Islands, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland. The Mediterranean population is a separate subspecies whose strongholds are Filfla Island (Malta), Sicily, and the Balearic Islands.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name: Hydrobates pelagicus
Family: Northern Storm-Petrels
Order: Procellariiformes

Similar species

Other members of the northern storm-petrels family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

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