Storm-petrels & Bulwer's Petrel

By Bob Flood

Highly acclaimed and a classic title in its field. Innovative new concept to identification of seabirds essential to all birders. Endorsed by world leading experts Peter Harrison, Steve N. G. Howell, Killian Mullarney, and Hadoram Shirihai. The first in a series on the identification of North Atlantic seabirds – also covering adjacent seas and the Western Palearctic. Revised edition. Comprehensive guide to storm-petrels, including the confusion species Bulwer's Petrel. The only guides with the depth of information needed to identify the more tricky species. Thorough cross-comparison of all species/taxa covered. Original and highly detailed text, over 140 photographs, 41 stunning illustrations by Ian Lewington, and 11 large format range maps. Two support DVDs available via hyperlink contain at sea footage of all species. Species covered: White-faced Storm-petrel, Wilson's Storm-petrel, European Storm-petrel, Black-bellied Storm-petrel, White-bellied Storm-petrel, Band-rumped Storm-petrel, Leach's Storm-petrel, Swinhoe's Storm-petrel, Matsudaira's Storm-petrel, and Bulwer's Petrel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pelagic Birds & Birding Multimedia Identification Guides
• Release date: Feb 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9780956886736

Book preview

MULTIMEDIA IDENTIFICATION GUIDE TO

NORTH ATLANTIC SEABIRDS

Storm-petrels & Bulwer’s Petrel

Revised Edition

Bob Flood & Ashley Fisher

Illustrations by Ian Lewington

Pelagic Birds & Birding Multimedia Identification Guides

Purchase DVDs via http://www.scillypelagics.com/store.html

First published 2011, revised edition 2013, e-published 2015

by Pelagic Birds & Birding Multimedia Identification Guides in association with www.scillypelagics.com

ISBN 978-0-9568867-0-5 (Hardback)

ISBN 978-0-9568867-3-6 (ePub)

ISBN 978-0-9568867-4-3 (Mobi)

© text: Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher

© maps: Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher

© illustrations: Ian Lewington

© artwork – Leach’s ‘rump patch’ pattern: Ashley Fisher

© video clips: the copyright in the video clips shall remain with each individual videographer, named in the timelines

© photographs: the copyright in the photographs shall remain with each individual photographer, named in the caption of each photograph or in the timelines

Design and DTP by Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher

All rights reserved. No part of this publication – DVDs and book – may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the prior permission in writing of the publishers.

Conversion and distribution Vivlia, Hockley, Essex

CONTENTS

Series introduction

Key and map guide

Topography

About this guide

Species covered

Overview

Identification

Species accounts

White-faced Storm-petrel

Wilson’s Storm-petrel

European Storm-petrel

Black-bellied Storm-petrel

White-bellied storm-petrel

Band-rumped Storm-petrel

Leach’s Storm-petrel

Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel

Matsudaira’s Storm-petrel

Bulwer’s Petrel

Confusion pairs

White-faced and Red Phalarope

European and Wilson’s

Wilson’s and Band-rumps

Black-bellied F. t. tropica and White-bellied F. g. leucogaster

Black-bellied F. t. melanoleuca and White-bellied F. g. leucogaster

Band-rumps and Leach’s

‘Dark-rumped’ Leach’s and Swinhoe’s

Swinhoe’s and Matsudaira’s

Bulwer’s and ‘all-dark’ storm-petrels

Illustrations of the confusion pairs

References

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Taxonomy in Hydrobates, Fregetta, and Oceanodroma castro complexes

DVDs

Credits

Timeline Disk 1

Timeline Disk 2

ID jogger

About the authors

Inset 1 Banding storm-petrels at sea

Inset 2 Make-up and variation in the rump patch of Leach’s Storm-petrel

Inset 3 Variation in the rump patch of Atlantic Leach’s Storm-petrels

Inset 4 Pseudo dark-rumped Atlantic Leach’s Storm-petrels

Inset 5 Misidentification of nightjars for ‘all-dark’ storm-petrels or Bulwer’s Petrel

Inset 6 Gray-backed Storm-petrel Garrodia nereis

Front cover: Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel, with Wilson’s Storm-petrels Steve N. G. Howell

Title-page: Band-rumped Storm-petrel; inside title-page: Leach’s Storm-petrel; this page: Bulwer’s Petrel Ian Lewington

PELAGIC BIRDS & BIRDING

MULTIMEDIA IDENTIFICATION GUIDES

SERIES INTRODUCTION

It is an exciting time for those interested in pelagic birds and birding. The understanding of seabirds is progressing dramatically in areas like taxonomy and field ID. This is marked by new field guides and a growth in journal articles. There is a reinforcing relationship between such developments and the rapid expansion over the last 20 years of pelagic birding into the accessible ocean and, more recently, into the remote ocean.

For the pelagic birder, field guides and journal articles assist ID through text, artwork, photos, and of late also through sound. There is much value in these media. However, individually and collectively they struggle to bring to life the bird in motion. Yet, it is the bird in motion that first and foremost confronts the pelagic birder as it travels, forages, and feeds. The relevant medium here is video and it is the main purpose of this project to investigate pelagic birds and birding through a wide selection of video clips, supported by a range of other media. Video in our ID guides warrants further introduction.

A professional wanting to compile a comprehensive collection of video clips of all pelagic birds of the world would have to commit a life-time’s work to the project, and invest literally millions of dollars. The project would require travel to many remote and inaccessible locations. Such a dream is beyond our means.

Our collection of amateur video footage is representative of pelagic bird families and regions. Some families and regions are better represented than others. Pterodromas and Puffinus shearwaters are diverse and widespread, a number are extremely rare, many inhabit remote and inaccessible locations, and these families are least well represented. The remote Pacific remains one of the most inaccessible regions and this is reflected in our work. However, we believe that our footage as a whole offers an acceptable introduction to pelagic birds across the world that is educational and, we anticipate, a joy to watch for all pelagic bird lovers.

Most footage was taken in relatively accessible locations including: the Southwest Approaches of the English Channel, the Canary Current, the Gulf Stream off North America, the Falkland Current, the Benguela Current, the Humboldt Current, the California Current, the Yellow Sea, Australasian waters, the Drake Passage, and around the Antarctic Peninsula. Some footage was shot in the less accessible waters of the South Atlantic and Pacific islands.

Although we have secured both ‘in the hand’ and ‘at the nest’ footage, most clips were taken while at sea, off vessels of various sizes: large ocean-going ferries, expedition cruisers, tripper-launches, motorboats, and even small Zodiacs.

Videography is not easy. Pelagic birding is among the most challenging of birding pursuits, and videoing birds at sea a challenge beyond. Everything is on the move and at times moves in opposing ways. Birds are in flight. Marine vessels traverse ever-changing and sometimes mountainous sea surface contours. The videographer is anything but static. Even when conditions are favorable, a rare occasion indeed, who is to say that the target quarry will turn up, come near to the vessel, or stay for more than a moment?

Securing desired video footage is tricky and the process at times is frustrating. All too often a videographer has to be satisfied with a small image, a brief sequence, or both. Results can be light impaired: colors burnt out in strong sunlight, or images grainy on a dull day. Still, with perseverance and improving technology, we believe that we have compiled a worthwhile video collection worthy of sharing with you.

Our guides present original footage on DVD without unnecessary special effects, creating an experience much like looking through binoculars. Narration is informative and avoids confusing jargon. Each guide comes with a substantial book containing support media: written accounts, maps, photos, and artwork. The DVD/book combination provides a fresh, instructive, and animated multimedia approach to ID.

Revised edition The revisions include advances in the separation of Atlantic white-bellied Fregettas illustrated with photos, photos of all four proposed taxa of the BRSP complex including additional discussion in captions, updates on records of vagrants (BBSP, BRSP, SWSP, BUPE), map revisions based on new information, extra new photos, photo guide for Gray-backed Storm-petrel (inset 6) so that the guide covers all of the storm-petrels that frequent the Atlantic, plus other minor revisions. There is no space on the DVDs for revisions, but revisions in the book can be applied to the DVDs. Many thanks to Peter Ryan who contributed significantly to these revisions. Reviewers of the first edition requested a summary of the Humphrey-Parkes system and terminology for molt and plumage, utilized in this series, and this is given as an appendix in the second guide Pterodroma Petrels.

Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher, Isles of Scilly, UK, September 2013

For further information see www.scillypelagics.com

White-faced Storm-petrel (Ian Lewington)

KEY AND MAP GUIDE

GENERAL TERMS

ALPHA CODE (SHORTHAND BASED ON ENGLISH NAME)

TOPOGRAPHY

MAPS

TOPOGRAPHY

The topography of a bird identifies regions of feathers and bare parts that are used to describe its appearance in terms of plumage aspect and structure. The following five photos of storm-petrels are annotated with topographical terms. These terms are building blocks that permit us to make a detailed description of each species/taxon and thereby to compare confusion species/taxa (along with size, jizz, flight behavior).

European Storm-petrel Hydrobates [p.] pelagicus, Scilly, UK, 8th July 2005 (Bryan Thomas).

European Storm-petrel Hydrobates [p]. pelagicus, Scilly, UK, 8th July 2005 (Bryan Thomas).

Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma monorhis, Selvagem Grande, Selvagens Islands, 21st August 2007 (Rafael Matias). Upperwing features are key to ID in some confusion pairs.

White-faced Storm-petrel Pelagodroma marina, Selvagem Pequena, Selvagens Islands, 3rd July 2008 (Wayne Strong). WFSP has a strong facial pattern, unlike other taxa covered.

Wilson’s Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus, Scilly, UK, 13th August 2005 (Bryan Thomas).

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

The main aim of this guide is to get you to correctly identify the storm-petrels and Bulwer’s Petrel that breed within or visit the North Atlantic Ocean (and adjacent seas). It comprises two DVDs and a book (with illustrations, photos, maps, text accounts, and more).

On the first DVD the opening chapter ‘Group introduction’ illustrates some important aspects of morphology and biology of our petrels. It visits a number of locations where they breed so that you can experience the remote islands that they depend upon. The second chapter ‘Identification’ introduces the basics of our approach to storm-petrel ID, which focuses on five main features: jizz, size, plumage aspect (feather colors and patterns), flight behavior, and structure. The third chapter ‘Confusion pairs’ investigates the ‘species pairs’ most likely to cause confusion in field ID. The fourth chapter ‘Identification challenge’ gets you involved in the DVD. We present a series of clips and you are asked to identify the species shown in the clips (species are named in the timeline). The clips are organized into three groups: ‘Beginner’, ‘Intermediate’, and ‘Advanced’. The identification challenge gets you to practice ID skills gained by using this guide.

The second DVD presents the 10 species/taxa accounts and aims to get to grips with the characteristics of each species/taxon under field conditions.

The first time that you watch the DVDs, we recommend that you view the chapters in the following order:

Disk 1 Group introduction

Disk 1 Identification

Disk 2 Species accounts

Disk 1 Confusion pairs

Disk 1 Identification challenge

Each DVD has informative narration throughout and each clip has a caption that gives summary information about the clip (except ‘Identification challenge’, of course). Captions are numbered and tie-up with the DVD timelines set out toward the rear of the book, where you will find complete information about every clip (date, location, and incidental species).

The book tells you, in many ways, what to look for in the DVDs and where you should look for it. It supports the DVDs with a range of other media.

The first section ‘Species covered’ summarizes the taxonomy of our petrels and their status in the North Atlantic. The second section ‘Overview’ introduces the two subfamilies of storm-petrels and the genus Bulweria and covers morphology, biology, molt strategies, ageing, colonies, mythology, and more (link Disk 1 chapter ‘Group introduction’). The third section ‘Identification’ presents the details of our approach to storm-petrel ID and covers jizz, size, plumage aspect, flight behavior, and structure (link Disk 1 chapter ‘Identification’). The fourth section ‘Species accounts’ describes each species/taxon in detail; each account begins with a range map, then reviews taxonomy, other names, conservation status, population size, Atlantic range, main characteristics, and molt (link Disk 2 chapter ‘Species accounts’). Color photos are used to illustrate the main points from the text.

The fifth section ‘Confusion pairs’ summarizes how to separate the pairs of species/taxa most likely to cause confusion in the field. It highlights features of the species/taxa that are the same or similar, and thus the features to concentrate on that set them apart. It utilizes illustrations of each species/taxa that depict a suite of characteristic shapes, postures, and plumages (link Disk 1 chapter ‘Confusion pairs’).

References, acknowledgments and an appendix are followed by the DVD timelines.

The last section ‘ID jogger’ at the back of the book provides you with a complete bullet-point summary of all the important matters to do with the ID of North Atlantic storm-petrels and Bulwer’s Petrel. We call it ID jogger, because it jogs your memory with all the important identification points that are hard to remember as a whole. It is an extra resource given in all of our guides that can be photocopied or scanned, made into a small booklet, and taken on seawatches and pelagic trips.

The book does its best to introduce and describe the species covered using words and still images, but nothing can replace the DVDs for ‘real-life’ encounters with our petrels. The DVDs take you that one big step closer to the birds – to experience them as you will encounter them at sea.

Wilson’s Storm-petrels Oceanites oceanicus, Hatteras, North Carolina, USA, 4th June 2010 (Chris Sloan). There are large concentrations of WISPs off the eastern seaboard of the USA during May–October, when they will form large feeding flocks over chum. All of these birds are in wing molt and this dramatically alters the shape of the wings, and to some extent flight action.

SPECIES COVERED

This section summarizes the taxonomy of our petrels and their status in the North Atlantic and adjacent seas. Current taxonomy is listed below (taxonomic developments, potential and proposed changes are reviewed in the text and appendix):

Species covered in this guide are presented below in an order that puts the main ‘confusion pairs’ side by side: Wilson’s and European, Black-bellied and White-bellied (there are still some complications with white-bellied Fregettas), Band-rumps and Leach’s, Leach’s and Swinhoe’s, Swinhoe’s and Matsudaira’s, and the ‘all-dark’ Bulwer’s Petrel alongside ‘all-dark’ storm-petrels (Swinhoe’s and Matsudaira’s). Bulwer’s historically has been treated as a Gadfly petrel, although recent genetic phylogeny (i.e. study of evolutionary development) suggests that it may be closer to Procellaria petrels (family Procellariidae) (Bretagnolle et al. 1998).

The status of each species in the North Atlantic follows.

White-faced Storm-petrel breeds in the northeast Atlantic throughout much of the year. It most likely disperses into the central North Atlantic, from where small numbers are reported. It is regular though scarce off the east coast of North America, mainly off New England, less frequently as far south as North Carolina (July–September). It is an extreme vagrant to western Europe. Six taxa are recognized worldwide by most authorities, with one found in the South Atlantic and two found in the North Atlantic.

Wilson’s Storm-petrel is a circumpolar breeder during the southern summer along the Antarctic coastline and on Antarctic islands, on sub-Antarctic islands and islets off Cape Horn, and within the Chilean fjords. Respectively, three taxa are recognized by most authorities, though variation may be clinal. It migrates into the North Atlantic in the non-breeding season, presumably including part of the Antarctic population and part of the sub-Antarctic population. At this time, Wilson’s is common off the eastern seaboard of the USA (mainly May–October), regular in the Canary Current (mainly May–September), and found in small numbers off southwest Britain and Ireland (mainly July–August). Some non-breeders remain in the tropics off South America and southern Africa during the breeding season.

European Storm-petrel breeds during the northern summer in the northeast Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea. In the non-breeding season, the Atlantic population migrates mainly to waters west of Africa, while the Mediterranean population may remain predominantly within the Mediterranean Sea. Apparently a rare though near-annual visitor to the eastern seaboard of the USA, most notably off North Carolina (mid-May to early June). Some non-breeders remain off the coastlines of western Africa and southern Europe during the breeding season. European Storm-petrel has been treated as monotypic, but recent research points to it being polytypic, with the Mediterranean population a distinct taxon.

Black-bellied Storm-petrel F. t. tropica is a circumpolar breeder on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands during the southern summer, and in the non-breeding season part of this population migrates as far north as equatorial waters in the Atlantic. In the North Atlantic, to September 2013, four vagrants have been recorded off North Carolina (USA) and three vagrants around the Canaries and Madeira (all spring and summer). There is little information about the range of non-breeders during the breeding season. A white-bellied form F. t. melanoleuca breeds on the uninhabited islands of the Tristan da Cunha group and Gough Island, South Atlantic.

White-bellied Storm-petrel F. grallaria leucogaster breeds on the uninhabited islands of the Tristan da Cunha group and nearby Gough Island, South Atlantic. The specific ranges of F. g. leucogaster and F. t. melanoleuca (the white-bellied form of Black-bellied) away from the breeding islands are unclear because of the problem of separating them at sea. A white-bellied Fregetta storm-petrel in the North Atlantic almost certainly would originate from these South Atlantic populations. There is no confirmed record for the North Atlantic, but one or more of three unidentified Fregetta storm-petrels could have been a white-bellied Fregetta (all three of these records in the northeast Atlantic). The white-bellied storm-petrels of the South Atlantic are included in the species accounts, given their possible (actual?) vagrancy to the North Atlantic.

Band-rumped Storm-petrel breeds throughout the year in the tropical and subtropical northeast Atlantic. It is dispersive or migratory and is found in the western Atlantic from Canada to the nutrient-rich upwellings off northeast Brazil. In the USA, it is seen in the Gulf of Mexico and off Florida (April–September), off North Carolina (May–August), and is rare north to New England. It is an extreme vagrant to northwest Europe. Populations breed in the South Atlantic on Ascension Island, St Helena Island, and probably on islets off São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea. Band-rumped was widely considered monotypic for many years, although several authors recently proposed four taxa for the North Atlantic, and one of these has been formally accepted as a full species by BirdLife International.

Leach’s Storm-petrel breeds during the northern summer in the northwest and the northeast Atlantic, and in the non-breeding season it migrates mainly to regions of tropical convergence (handful of records farther south in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters). Leach’s is regularly seen while on migration off western Europe (mainly fall) and off the eastern seaboard of the USA, with non-breeders present throughout the summer off North Carolina (USA). Some non-breeders remain in regions of tropical convergence during the breeding season. It is polytypic, but only the nominate form occurs in the Atlantic.

Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel breeds in the northern summer mainly on islands on the Pacific side of Japan, in the Sea of Japan, and in the Yellow Sea off the Korean Peninsula. In the non-breeding season it migrates to the northern Indian Ocean (with records farther south, most notably off northwest Australia). There are five records for Eilat in the Red Sea and it has been recorded once very recently off South Africa. Swinhoe’s was first recorded in the North Atlantic in 1983 when a male was trapped. Incredibly, since then there has been a steady trickle of trappings and at-sea sightings. Several birds trapped at likely breeding locations had brood patches, but breeding is not yet proven. Its status is unknown, with Swinhoe’s truly an enigma of the North Atlantic.

Matsudaira’s Storm-petrel breeds late in the northern winter on the Bonin Islands, south of Japan (Pacific), and in the non-breeding season it migrates south and then west, mainly to the equatorial Indian Ocean. Its breeding and non-breeding ranges show some similarity to those of Swinhoe’s. It has been recorded twice on the margins of the South Atlantic, off South Africa, and there are claims for the northeast Atlantic (albeit tenuous). Matsudaira’s is included in the species accounts given possible vagrancy to the North Atlantic, its resemblance to Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel and Bulwer’s Petrel, and evidence of confusion in the North Atlantic with European Nightjar.

Bulwer’s Petrel is a Gadfly petrel but is presented in this guide alongside its most likely confusion group, ‘all-dark’ storm-petrels. It breeds in the northeast Atlantic throughout much of the year (possibly South Atlantic). It is dispersive or migratory into the central Atlantic, and is recorded south and west to the nutrient-rich upwellings off northeast Brazil. It is regularly seen on deep-sea pelagic trips off Portugal during the breeding season, though it is an extreme vagrant to northwest Europe. There is one documented record with photos of an individual off North Carolina (USA), and several published sight records for the eastern seaboard of North America.

Inaccessible Island, Tristan da Cunha group, 6th April 2009 (Harro Müller). The Inaccessible Island Rail Atlantisia rogersi lives here and nowhere else in the world. The island and nearby Nightingale Island are seabird cities. Their inhabitants include the two taxa of near-identical Atlantic white-bellied Fregetta storm-petrels. Not many people get to land on Inaccessible because there are few safe landing sites and conditions rarely favor them.

Gough Island, 9th April 2008 (Phil