Wilson's Storm petrel Oceanites oceanicus

Breeding migrant. Tiny bird 15-19cm (6-7.5 inches). Sooty brown upperparts with white tail coverts forming a conspicuous white rump. Tail is square.  Underparts and under-tail  sooty. Wings also sooty brown but have a narrow greyish band across the greater coverts. Legs are long and black with lemon -yellow feet webs.
This petrel can resemble a swallow with shallow fast wing beats as it flutters and glides low over the water. It can be seen pattering on the water’s surface. They form large flocks and like to follow ships. Food is small shrimp, squid and scraps of fish offal from fishing trawlers.
Wilson’s storm petrels are circumpolar and widespread, venturing  ashore only to breed, coming and going to nests during the hours of darkness.  They breed on South Georgia and the Falkland Islands where colonies are found on Beauchene Island, Steeple and Grand Jasons and possibly other offshore tussac islands. They nest in burrows in soft soil or rock crevices, laying eggs November to January and weeks and incubating for six and a half weeks. Young fledge mid- February to March.
Predators are skuas, birds of prey, gulls, and rodents. Rats have been eradicated from South Georgia and many small islands in the Falklands and hopefully this will greatly help petrel populations.

Black-bellied Storm petrel

These small (19/20cm, 7.5-8 inches) storm petrels are slightly larger and more robust than Wilson's Storm petrel and easily confused. Sooty black with a white rump. Underparts and upper breast sooty-black with black extending down the belly. Forms a nest under the skirt of tussac grass stools at ground level. (Ian. J. Strange 1992)

It is a visitor the the Falklands.

Sources include: Falkland Islands State of the Environment Report 2008 Otley H, Munro G, Clausen A, Ingham B. A Field Guide to the Wildlife of The Falkland Islands and South Georgia - Ian J Strange, Guide to Birds of the Falkland Islands- Robin W. Woods.

Photographic credits: Header: Graeme Snow/Shutterstock.com,, Guillaume Dargaud, Dark bellied storm petrel by Andrew M Allport/Shutterstock.com

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