Species
Wilson's storm-petrel
Oceanites oceanicus
A swallow-sized seabird that patters its feet on the waves, among the most numerous birds on Earth.
Photo rhfrhf (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 16 to 19 cm long
- Weight
- About 30 to 50 g
- Habitat
- Open ocean
- Diet
- Plankton, small crustaceans and fish scraps
- In Georgia
- A common summer visitor offshore
- Voice
- Mostly silent at sea
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Tiny, dark seabird; white rump; long legs that trail past the tail; yellow webbing between the toes
- Told apart from
- Leach's storm-petrel, which has a forked tail and bounding flight
- Where to look
- Offshore in summer, often following boats
Behaviour
Wilson's storm-petrels flutter just above the water, pattering their feet on the surface as they pick up food. They breed in Antarctica and spend the northern summer in the Atlantic.
Why they matter
This tiny seabird may be one of the most numerous bird species in the world, and it travels from Antarctica to the North Atlantic each year. Its presence off Georgia in summer links the state's waters to the Southern Ocean.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A crevice or burrow on Antarctic islands
Eggs — One
Incubation — About 40 to 50 days
Chick — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- A storm-petrel found inland after a storm needs a rehabilitator.
Misconceptions
- Such a tiny bird cannot survive at sea. It spends almost its whole life there.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Breeding in Antarctica | Breeding | Chicks | Migrating north | Arriving offshore | Offshore | Offshore | Offshore | Leaving | Migrating south | Breeding season begins in Antarctica | Breeding |
Where it lives
Recorded in 19 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Californiapassing through
- Delawarepassing through
- Floridapassing through
- Georgiapassing through
- Mainepassing through
- Marylandpassing through
- Massachusettspassing through
- New Hampshirepassing through
- New Jerseypassing through
- New Yorkpassing through
- North Carolinapassing through
- Rhode Islandpassing through
- South Carolinapassing through
- Virginiapassing through
Canada
If you found one
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