Swinhoe's Storm-petrel
Encyclopedia
Swinhoe's Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis also known as Swinhoe's Petrel is a small seabird
of the storm-petrel
family Hydrobatidae.
It breeds on islands in the northwest Pacific off China
, Japan
and Korea
. It nests in colonies close to the sea in rock crevices and lays a single white egg. It spends the rest of the year at sea, ranging into the Indian Ocean
and Arabian Sea
.
In 1983, a bird was trapped on the Selvagens, Madeira
on the 8th July and was confirmed to be the first record for the Atlantic Ocean. Since then a number of storm-petrels exhibiting plumage and structural characteristics have been recorded at sea, principally in the North Atlantic, while birds were trapped during the summer months in France (1989), England (1989 [two birds], 1990 [with birds retrapped from 1991 to 1994]), Spain (1994), Norway (1996, 1997), and again Madeira (1991, 1994),. Other than the east North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea
a number of other individuals have been identified in the western North Atlantic. One was photographed off Hatteras, North Carolina
, on August 8, 1998, but this record was not accepted by the American Birding Association
or the American Ornithologists' Union
as at-sea records are not usually entirely reliable due to identification difficulties (AOU 2000). A second Hatteras record on the June 2, 2008, which was accompanied by excellent photos, is far more robust and would, pending acceptance, represent the first North American record of this species.
The records suggest that a small breeding population may have become established in the North Atlantic but as yet there has been no definitive proof.
Swinhoe's Storm Petrel is a small bird
, 18–21 cm in length with a 45–48 cm wingspan, but distinctly larger than the European Storm Petrel. It is essentially dark brown in all plumages, and has a fluttering flight, pattering on the water surface as it picks plankton
ic food items from the ocean surface. Unlike European Storm Petrel, it does not follow ships.
It most resembles in structure Leach's Storm Petrel, with its forked tail, longish wings, and flight behaviour, but does not have a white rump and the call differs. It is difficult to distinguish from other all-dark Oceanodroma species, and the first English
record had to be DNA
-tested to eliminate the possibility that it was a Leach's Storm Petrel, since populations of north-eastern Pacific Leach's Storm Petrels contain individuals that show completely dark rumps.
This storm-petrel
is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gull
s and skua
s, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow. It is strictly pelagic outside the breeding season, and this, together with its remote breeding sites, makes Swinhoe's Petrel a difficult bird to see from land. Only in storms might this species be pushed into headlands, but even then an out of range bird would probably defy definite identification.
Widespread throughout its large range, the Swinhoe's Storm Petrel is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
of the storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
family Hydrobatidae.
It breeds on islands in the northwest Pacific off China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. It nests in colonies close to the sea in rock crevices and lays a single white egg. It spends the rest of the year at sea, ranging into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
.
In 1983, a bird was trapped on the Selvagens, Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
on the 8th July and was confirmed to be the first record for the Atlantic Ocean. Since then a number of storm-petrels exhibiting plumage and structural characteristics have been recorded at sea, principally in the North Atlantic, while birds were trapped during the summer months in France (1989), England (1989 [two birds], 1990 [with birds retrapped from 1991 to 1994]), Spain (1994), Norway (1996, 1997), and again Madeira (1991, 1994),. Other than the east North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
a number of other individuals have been identified in the western North Atlantic. One was photographed off Hatteras, North Carolina
Hatteras, North Carolina
Hatteras is an unincorporated community in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, on the Outer Banks island of Hatteras. North Carolina Highway 12 passes through the community linking it to Frisco and Ocracoke . It is south of the famous Cape Hatteras and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton...
, on August 8, 1998, but this record was not accepted by the American Birding Association
American Birding Association
The American Birding Association is a non-profit organization of people interested in birding. Begun in 1968, the ABA is the only organization in North America that specifically caters to recreational birders. Membership is open to all...
or the American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
as at-sea records are not usually entirely reliable due to identification difficulties (AOU 2000). A second Hatteras record on the June 2, 2008, which was accompanied by excellent photos, is far more robust and would, pending acceptance, represent the first North American record of this species.
The records suggest that a small breeding population may have become established in the North Atlantic but as yet there has been no definitive proof.
Swinhoe's Storm Petrel is a small bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, 18–21 cm in length with a 45–48 cm wingspan, but distinctly larger than the European Storm Petrel. It is essentially dark brown in all plumages, and has a fluttering flight, pattering on the water surface as it picks plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
ic food items from the ocean surface. Unlike European Storm Petrel, it does not follow ships.
It most resembles in structure Leach's Storm Petrel, with its forked tail, longish wings, and flight behaviour, but does not have a white rump and the call differs. It is difficult to distinguish from other all-dark Oceanodroma species, and the first English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
record had to be DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
-tested to eliminate the possibility that it was a Leach's Storm Petrel, since populations of north-eastern Pacific Leach's Storm Petrels contain individuals that show completely dark rumps.
This storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s and skua
Skua
The skuas are a group of seabirds with about seven species forming the family Stercorariidae and the genus Stercorarius. The three smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America....
s, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights. Like most petrels, its walking ability is limited to a short shuffle to the burrow. It is strictly pelagic outside the breeding season, and this, together with its remote breeding sites, makes Swinhoe's Petrel a difficult bird to see from land. Only in storms might this species be pushed into headlands, but even then an out of range bird would probably defy definite identification.
Widespread throughout its large range, the Swinhoe's Storm Petrel is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.