Band-rumped Storm-Petrel

Overview
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel: Black-brown storm-petrel with gray-brown wing bars and conspicuous white band across the rump and, large, slightly notched tail. Black bill, legs and feet. Bouyant, zigzag flight alternating several rapid wing beats with glide on horizontal or slightly downward-bowed wings.

Range and Habitat
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel: Breeds on remote ocean islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, wanders widely in the nonbreeding season.

The Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is a bird that is native to the South Pacific, including the Hawaiian Islands. Currently, the population of this bird in the Hawaiian Islands remains fairly small, although there are now large populations of the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel in Japan as well as the Galapagos. The greatest danger to this bird at this time is considered to be light attraction. The Band-rumped Storm Petrel currently has a rating of Least Concern due to fairly large populations that exist throughout the world.

INTERESTING FACTS
Little known in North American waters until the 1980s, when pelagic bird expeditions ventured into deeper Gulf Stream waters off North Carolina; they are now seen annually in this area. The Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is also known as the Madeiran Storm-Petrel. They are strictly nocturnal at breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas, they will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights.