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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Hydrobates leucorhous
Leach's Storm-Petrel

 
Scientific Name: Hydrobates leucorhous (Vieillot, 1818)
Scientific Name Synonyms: Oceanodroma leucorhoa
English Name: Leach's Storm-Petrel
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). Chesser, R.T., K.J. Burns, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2016. Fifty-seventh Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 133:544-560.
Classification Level: Species
Taxonomy Comments: The genus Oceanodroma has been merged with Hydrobates, given that Oceanodroma is paraphyletic with respect to Hydrobates. Hydrobates has the priority (Chesser, Burns, Cicero et. al. 2019).
Species Group: Vertebrate Animal
Species Code: B-LSPE
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Craniata Aves Procellariiformes Hydrobatidae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G5 (Apr 2016)
Provincial Status: S4B (Mar 2015)
BC List: Yellow
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status:
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 4 - Secure (2005)
Migratory Bird Convention Act: Y
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description: See Naveen (1981) for detailed information on storm-petrel identification.
Global Reproduction Comments: One egg is incubated by both adults (in turn every 4-6 days) for 41-42 days. Chick is deserted by parents in about 40 days, leaves for sea in 63-70 days (Harrison 1978). Most do not begin breeding until 5th summer (Cowger 1976). Socially and genetically monogamous (Mauck et al. 1995).
Global Ecology Comments: Occurs singly or in small loose groups in Pacific off Costa Rica (Stiles and Skutch 1989). A banded bird was captured in its nest burrow when 24 years old (Terres 1980). Recorded as prey of short-eared owl in Massachusetts (Holt 1987).
Migration Characteristics:
(Global / Provincial)		 
    Nonmigrant:
    Local Migrant:
    Distant Migrant:
    Within Borders Migrant: 		N /
N /
Y /
na /
Global Migration Comments: Arrives on breeding grounds in Maine in April-May (Cowger 1976). Present in tropical latitudes November-March (Pratt et al. 1987). Mainly May-August off Costa Rica (evidently nonbreeders, Stiles and Skutch 1989).
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence) 		Ocean / Marine Island / Unknown
Ocean / Pelagic / Unknown
Ocean / Sheltered Waters - Marine / Unknown
Global Habitat Comments: Pelagic. Winters on open sea, comes ashore only to breed. Nests on islands in burrow dug by male; sometimes in rock crevice; may nest in open or under vegetation. Disturbance of nest sites, even during nonbreeding season, may break up mated pair and lower reproductive success (Morse and Kress 1984). Usually nests in same burrow in successive years.
Food Habits: Invertivore: Adult, Immature
Piscivore: Adult, Immature
Global Food Habits Comments: Surface feeder. Feeds on fishes, crustaceans, and small squids. In northwest Atlantic, diet mainly myctophids and amphipods, also euphausiids and other crustaceans (Montevecchi et al. 1992).
Global Phenology: Diurnal: Adult, Immature
Global Phenology Comments: Most active at breeding colonies at night. Feeds offshore by day and possibly at night as well (Cowger 1976).
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Colonial Breeder: Y
Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): 20/ / 40
Elevation (m) (min / max): Global: 
Provincial: 
   
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: Breeding range in the northwestern Pacific Ocean extends from the Commander Islands south to the Kuril Islands and Hokkaido, Japan (AOU 1998). Breeding range in the eastern Pacific Ocean includes southern Alaska (including the Aleutian Islands), British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja California (Los Coronados, San Benito, and Guadalupe Islands, and Alijos Rocks). Breeding range in the western Atlantic Ocean extends from southern Labrador to Maine (Casco Bay) and Massachusetts (Penikese Islands). Breeding range in the eastern Atlantic Ocean includes Iceland, Faeroe Islands, Norway, Scotland, and Ireland (AOU 1998).

Southern Hemisphere: Potential for colonizing Southern Hemisphere: New Zealand and South Africa. Whittington et al. (2001) reported the first confirmed breeding (20 pairs) on Dyer Island off the coast of South Africa (AOU 1998).

This storm-petrel ranges at sea in the Pacific Ocean from the breeding areas south to the Hawaiian, Revillagigedo, and Galapagos lands, and in the western Pacific to Indonesia and New Guinea; and in the Atlantic Ocean south along both coasts to Florida, the West Indies, Caribbean Sea, Brazil, and South Africa, rarely but regularly also to the west coast of Greenland (AOU 1998).

Casual occurrences extend to the west coast of Greenland and eastern Atlantic islands, Mediterranean Sea, and western Europe (Huntington et al. 1996, AOU 1998).
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author: Hammerson, G.
Last Updated: Apr 11, 1996
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
   
References and Related Literature
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
Boersma, P. D., and M. J. Groom. 1993. Conservation of storm-petrels in the North Pacific. Pp. 112-121 IN Vermeer, K., K. T. Briggs, K. H. Morgan, and D. Siegel-Causey, (editors). The status, ecology, and conservation of marine birds of the North Pacific. Canadian Wildlife Service Publ., Ottawa, Ontario.
Brown, R. G. B., and D. N. Nettleship. 1984. The seabirds of northeastern North America: their present status and conservation requirements. Pages 85-100 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
Buckley, P. A., and F. G. Buckley. 1984. Seabirds of the north and middle Atlantic coast of the United States: their status and conservation. Pages 101-133 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I.McT. Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G. Kaiser, and M.C.E. McNall. 1990. The Birds of British Columbia, Vol. 1. Nonpasserines: Introduction, Loons through Waterfowl. Royal B.C. Mus. in association with Environ. Can., Can. Wildl. Serv. 514pp.
Cowger, J. 1976. The nesting habitat of the Leach's storm petrel in Maine and its relevance to the Critical Areas Program. Critical Areas Program, Maine State Planning Office, Planning Report No. 6. 14 pp.
Evans, P. G. H. 1984b. Status and conservation of seabirds in northwest Europe (excluding Norways and the USSR). Pages 293-321 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
Godfrey, W.E. 1966. The birds of Canada. National Museums of Canada. Ottawa. 428 pp.
Golovkin, A. N. 1984. Seabirds nesting in the USSR: the status and protection of populations. Pages 473-486 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
Hasegawa, H. 1984. Status and conservation of seabirds in Japan, with special attention to the short-tailed albatross. Pages 487-500 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
Holt, D. W. 1987. Short-eared owl, ASIO FLAMMEUS, predation on Leach's storm-petrels, OCEANODROMA LEUCORHOA, in Massachusetts. Canadian Field-Nat. 101:448-450.
Hyslop, C., and J. Kennedy, editors. 1992. Bird trends: a report on results of national ornithological surveys in Canada. Number 2, Autumn 1992. Migratory Birds Conservation Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario. 20 pp.
Lensink, C. J. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds in Alaska. Pages 13-27 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Publ. No. 2.
Montevecchi, W. A., V. L. Birt-Friesen, and D. K. Cairns. 1992. Reproductive energetics and prey harvest of Leach's storm-petrels in the northwest Atlantic. Ecology 73:823-832.
Morse, D. H., and S. W. Kress. 1984. The effect of burrow loss on mate choice in the Leach's storm-petrel. Auk 101: 158-160.
Naveen, R. 1981. Storm-petrels of the world: an introductory guide to their field identification. Birding 13(6):216-29.
Podolsky, R. H., and S. W. Kress. 1989. Factors affecting colony formation in Leach's storm-petrel. Auk 106:332-336.
Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 409 pp. + 45 plates.
Sklepkovych, B. O., and W. A. Montevecchi. 1989. The world's largest known nesting colony of Leach's Storm-Petrels on Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland. American Birds 43:38-42.
Spendelow, J. A. and S. R. Patton. 1988. National Atlas of Coastal Waterbird Colonies in the Contiguous United States: 1976-1982. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report 88(5). x + 326 pp.
Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Warham, J. 1991 (also listed as 1990). The petrels: their ecology and breeding systems. Academic Press. viii + 440 pp.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1996. Species Summary: Hydrobates leucorhous. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 10, 2026).