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Wilson's Storm-Petrel
(Oceanites oceanicus)
: "Wilson's Petrel", "Flat-clawed Storm-Petrel"
German name(s): "Buntfuß-Sturmschwalbe"
Size: 15-19 cm; wing span 38-42 cm
Weight: 35-45 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Wilson's Storm-Petrels are small seabirds.
Their plumage is
all dark-grey, except for the white rump and flanks and a lighter
grey crescent on the greater upperwing coverts. The tail is
squarish to slightly notched. The legs are long and protrude
conspicuously beyond the tip of the tail in flight. The slightly
hooked bill and the legs are dark-grey, while the (often dangling)
feet have yellowish webbing.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Wilson's
Storm-Petrel at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of Wilson's Storm-Petrel is available
HERE
.
Wilson's Storm-Petrels are the smallest animals breeding on the
Antarctic continent and on antarctic
islands
in the southern summer.
From there they migrate northward after the breeding season, into
all southern oceans. In the southern winter they will reach all
tropical waters around the globe and move on to the northern
hemisphere.
In the Atlantic Ocean they are found as far North as Spain and
the American East coast, in the Pacific Ocean well North of Hawaii
and in the Indian Ocean they reach the coastlines of the sub-continent.
In Europe Wilson's Storm-Petrels can occasionally be found
around Iberia, both in the Atlantic and in the western
Mediterranean Sea, and further North up to the Gulf of
Biscaye in south-western France.
When not breeding, Wilson's Storm-Petrels will mostly stay
on the high seas,
but they do also
enter coastal waters.
They breed on offshore islands.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires
reports spotting Wilson's Storm-Petrels off Sagres, Algarve,
Portugal, in October 2020.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Near-frontal view of a Wilson's Storm-Petrel in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Lateral view of a Wilson's Storm-Petrel in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Distant lateral view from above ont a Wilson's Storm-Petrel in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Lateral/ventral view of a Wilson's Storm-Petrel in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a Wilson's Storm-Petrel in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]
More photos of Wilson's Storm-Petrels are available from
Australia.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.