How big is an Ainley's Storm Petrel?

The Ainley's Storm Petrel is a small sized bird weighing about 37 g.

Where can you see an Ainley's Storm Petrel?

The Ainley's Storm Petrel is endemic to Mexico, which is the only country where it occurs.

What birds look similar to an Ainley's Storm Petrel?

The Ainley's Storm Petrel is most easily confused with the Monteiro's Storm Petrel, the Ashy Storm Petrel and the Black Storm Petrel.

Is the Ainley's Storm Petrel endangered?

The Ainley's Storm Petrel is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Ainley's Storm Petrel

Hydrobates cheimomnestes

Northern Storm Petrels · Procellariiformes · Legendary

The Ainley's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates cheimomnestes) is a legendary northern storm petrel found only in Mexico, weighing about 37 g. Ainley's storm petrel is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae.

VulnerableLegendaryEndemicEats fishmarinecavity nest37 g

About the Ainley's Storm Petrel

Ainley's storm petrel is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae. It breeds in the winter on Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico. It ranges south to the Galápagos Islands. It is considered by some authorities to be a subspecies of Leach's storm petrel.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

Ainley's storm petrel is a medium-sized species about 18 cm (7.1 in) long, with fairly long wings with blunt points, and a moderately long, forked tail. The general colour is dark sooty-brown but from a distance this appears black; pre-moult adults may look more brownish when the plumage is worn. The rump is white, a U-shaped white patch having a central poorly defined dark area. The beak, legs and feet are black, and the feet do not extend beyond the tail in flight. It is only slightly different from other related species such as the Townsend's storm petrel and Leach's storm petrel

When to see it

Best months: January, February, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify an Ainley's Storm Petrel?: Ainley's storm petrel is a medium-sized species about 18 cm (7.1 in) long, with fairly long wings with blunt points, and a moderately long, forked tail. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is an Ainley's Storm Petrel?: The Ainley's Storm Petrel is a small sized bird weighing about 37 g.
Where can you see an Ainley's Storm Petrel?: The Ainley's Storm Petrel is endemic to Mexico, which is the only country where it occurs.
What birds look similar to an Ainley's Storm Petrel?: The Ainley's Storm Petrel is most easily confused with the Monteiro's Storm Petrel, the Ashy Storm Petrel and the Black Storm Petrel.
Is the Ainley's Storm Petrel endangered?: The Ainley's Storm Petrel is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Ainley's Storm Petrel for real

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