Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro (Harcourt, 1851)

Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Oceanitidae
Species: Oceanodroma castro (Harcourt, 1851)

Description
A small, dark, pelagic bird with rounded wings and a white rump patch. May be confused with the White-Faced Storm-Petrel but has longer wings, browner plumage, and a longer tail with slight forking (not easy to see). Undulating flight with incomplete wingbeats interrupted with short glides on a zigzag trajectory. The Madeiran Storm-Petrel is not easily seen at sea, it does not follow ships and on land it is strictly nocturnal.

Distribution
This species is widely distributed throughout the world, being found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on the Saint Helena and Ascension islands and on the Galapagos archipelago. In Macaronesia, it is found in the Madeira, Azores and Canary archipelagos.

Habitat
Its habitats are small islands, sea rocks and coastal cliffs.

Breeding
It breeds on all the islands of Madeira archipelago, except for the island of Porto Santo – although it does breed on the sea rocks surrounding that island. Madeira Storm-petrel has two breeding seasons, one in spring and the other in autumn. One egg is laid per sitting and incubation takes between 38 and 42 days. Both parents take turns in sitting on the egg, staying on the nest for periods of 2 to 6 days at a time. The chick remains in the nest for 68/73 days after hatching.

Madeira name: Roque de Castro
Portuguese name: Paínho
Madeira Archipelago migrant breeder
Social: Alone or on Small flocks
Length: 19 – 21 cm
Status: Vulnerable

Also known as:
Madeiran Storm Petrel
Paíño

Recommend Tours to watch this species:
Zino's Petrel Pelagic Expedition