Page 71 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

PETRELS AND SHEARWATERS
Order Procellariiformes Family Hydrobatidae Species Oceanodroma leucorhoa
Leach’s Petrel

sharp-winged,
tern-like shape dark underwings
“V”-shaped pale panel on
white rump upperwings
with dark
central line
notch in tail
hard to see
long, angled,
IN FLIGHT sooty brown
arched wings
back
forked
tail

angular
shape

FLIGHT: quick, strong, tern-like, with strong beats,
erratic twists, turns, leaps, and changes of speed.
lightly larger than the Storm Petrel, Leach’s Petrel
Sis still a tiny bird to live out at sea all its life,buffeted
by Atlantic gales. Like other petrels and shearwaters, it
ventures to land only to breed and only at night (unless
it is deep inside its burrow), but may be seen offshore
from suitable headlands in autumn gales. It may then
also be driven inland, appearing over reservoirs rather
than being stranded in unlikely places like some other
storm-driven birds.
VOICE Rattling, chattering coo at nest.
NESTING Burrow or cavity among rocks; one bird
incubates, while other is at sea, returning only at
night; 1 egg; 1 brood;April–July. BLOWN ONTO BEACHES
FEEDING Picks up tiny, floating pieces of offal, fish oil, Tired by their efforts to fly out of coastal bays against a gale, Leach’s
jellyfish,and marine invertebrates,from surface in flight. Petrels may briefly patter across the tideline or even over a beach.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds on few islands in
longer darker NW Europe; more widespread
bill upperwings
in autumn in North Atlantic, but
broader white scarce in North Sea. Appears
rump
during gales off NW England and
rounded N Wales and is regular but rare
dark tail inland in autumn gales.
rump
BLACK TERN STORM PETREL Seen in the UK
see p.224 see p.68 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 18–21cm (7–8 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 43–48cm (17–19in) Weight 40–50g (1 7 ⁄16 –1 3 ⁄4oz)
Social Small flocks Lifespan Up to 24 years Status Localized†
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