Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.9 in
20 cm - Weight
- 1.8–2.8 oz
50–80 g
Other Names
- Océanite à queue fourchue (French)
- Pa rabihorcado (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Oil is stored in the stomach and used to feed chicks. Adults regurgitate the oil onto predators, and sometimes onto each other during squabbles over nest sites.
- The single egg laid is approximately 20 percent of the female's body weight, one of the largest eggs relative to body size of all birds.
- Adults do not feed the chick in bad weather. If not fed for several days, the chick reduces its body temperature and goes into a state of torpor in which growth nearly ceases. When the adults return and brood the chick, its body temperature rises and it starts to grow again.
- Storm-petrels use their sense of smell to find food at sea and are often the first birds to arrive at an odor source.
Habitat
Ocean
- Breeds on offshore islands of differing habitats.
- Forages and winters on nearshore waters and cold waters in the open ocean of the continental shelf.
Food
Fish
Swimming crustaceans and fish on surface of water.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Egg Description
- Dull white, often with blunt end encircled by ring of dark purplish-red spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Covered with long gray down, eyes closed.
Nest Description
In burrows and crevices; little or no nest material added.
Nest Placement
Cliff
Behavior
Soaring
Hovers over water and dips down, may land briefly on water, and even dive underwater to pursue prey. Follows boats.
Conservation
Least Concern
Widespread and abundant. Nest sites are vulnerable to introduced predators. Adults are vulnerable to oil pollution at sea.
Credits
- Boersma, P. D., and M. C. Silva. 2001. Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma furcata). In The Birds of North America, No. 569 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.