MADEIRAN BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL Hydrobates castro

The "original" band rumped stormie, a summer breeder on Madeira and the Salvages, with a few on the Canaries, a reasonably common species. Generally smaller and darker than other Band-rumped Storm-petrels, its dispersal is not well known, but at least some birds do occur with Grants on the west coast of the USA. Due to the different breeding times they tend to be seen at different seasons, but obviously juveniles can be there with Grants. They are so similar that moult is the only real help in identification, but even that will sometimes overlap since juveniles moult at different times to adults.


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