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Home/Species/ Least Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates microsoma

(Coues, 1864)

Least Storm-Petrel

G3Vulnerable (G3G4) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104057
Element CodeABNDC04100
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations, but breeds in a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderProcellariiformes
FamilyHydrobatidae
GenusHydrobates
Synonyms
Oceanodroma microsoma(Coues, 1864)
Other Common Names
Océanite minute (FR) Paíño Mínimo (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly placed in the genus Oceanodroma or Halocyptena (e.g. AOU 1957). Transferred to Hydrobates by (AOS 2019).
Conservation Status
Review Date2009-05-01
Change Date2009-05-01
Edition Date2009-05-01
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactUnknown
Number of Occurrences1 - 20
Rank Reasons
Small nesting range on islands along the Pacific coast of Baja California and in the northern Gulf of California; large estimated population size; trends and threats poorly known, but not believed to be declining at a rate of more than 30% over 10 years or three generations.
Range Extent Comments
Breeding range includes the San Benito Islands off the west coast of Baja California and islands in northern Gulf of California (Consag Rock, San Luis and Partida islands, probably other islands). Nonbreeding range includes the ocean along the coast from central California (especially in late summer just after breeding or when water tempratures are warmer than average) to Oaxaca, less frequently to Panama and northern South America (Colombia, Ecuador) (AOU 1998).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by breeding populations on a small number of islands.
Threat Impact Comments
Threats have not been identified, but perhaps some nesting islands contain non-native predators that could negatively affect storm-petrels.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Naveen (1981) for detailed information on storm-petrel identification.

Habitat

This storm-petrel nests on islets in cliff crevices or among rocks. Otherwise its distribution is pelagic, usually over the Continental Shelf.

Ecology

Usually this species is in loose groups, often with black storm-petrels (Costa Rica, Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Reproduction

Breeding occurs July-October (Hilty and Brown 1986). Breeding females lay a single egg in July.
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNA
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNAYes
Roadless Areas (1)
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
WildhorseCleveland National Forest1,483
References (19)
  1. American Ornithological Society (AOS). Chesser, R.T., K.J. Burns, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., D.F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2019. Sixtieth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union check-list of North American birds. The Auk 136(3):1-23.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  4. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  5. Briggs, K. T., W. B. Tyler, D. B. Lewis, and D. R. Carlson. 1987. Bird communities at sea off California: 1975 to 1983. Studies in Avian Biology 11:1-74.
  6. Carboneras, C. 1992d. Family Hydrobatidae (storm-petrels). Pages 258-271 in J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal (Eds.) Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 1. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, Spain.
  7. del Hoyo, J., A. Elliot, and J. Sargatal. 1992. Handbook of the birds of the world. Volume 1. Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions.
  8. Gaston, A. J., and J. M. Hipfner. 2000. Thick-billed Murre (<i>Uria lomvia</i>). No. 497 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors, The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  9. Gaston, A. J., et al. 1994. Population parameters of thick-billed murres at Coats Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. Condor 96:935-948.
  10. Hilty, S.L. and W. L. Brown. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA. 836 pp.
  11. Mostello, C. S., N. A. Palaia, and R. B. Clapp. 2000. Gray-backed Tern (Sterna lunata). No. 525 in A. Poole and F. Gill (editors). The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 28 pp.
  12. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  13. Pough, R.H. 1949. Audubon land bird guide, small land birds of eastern and central North America from southern Texas to central Greenland. Doubleday and Company, Incorporated, Garden City, N.Y.
  14. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  15. Schreiber, E. A., R. W. Schreiber, and G. A. Schenk. 1996. Red-footed Booby (<i>Sula sula</i>). No. 241 in A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The Amerian Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC. 24 pp.
  16. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  17. 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.
  18. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  19. Warham, J. 1991 (also listed as 1990). The petrels: their ecology and breeding systems. Academic Press. viii + 440 pp.