Matsudaira's Storm-Petrel
NameMatsudaira's Storm-Petrel
Common NameMatsudaira's Storm-Petrel
Scientific NameHydrobates matsudairae
FamilyHydrobatidae
Wingspan (cm)48
Length (cm)24.5
Weight (g)60
Plumage DetailsUniformly sooty-brown to black plumage, with a noticeable pale or whitish shaft visible on the outer primaries, particularly on the underside of the wing.
Vocalization / CallGenerally silent at sea. At breeding colonies, it produces churring, purring, or gurgling calls, often given in flight or from burrows at night.
Primary Dietcarnivore
Primary Habitatscoastal
Conservation Statusnear-threatened
Geographic RangeBreeds on remote islands in the western Pacific, primarily the Volcano Islands and Ogasawara Islands of Japan. It undertakes extensive migrations across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, reaching as far west as the Arabian Sea and east to the central Pacific.
Identifying Featuresuniformly dark plumage, long wings, forked tail, pale primary shafts, buoyant, gliding flight
Description
A medium-sized, dark storm-petrel with long wings and a forked tail, spending most of its life over the open ocean. It exhibits a distinctive buoyant, gliding flight, often dipping to pick food from the surface.
