Black-bellied Storm Petrel vs Grey-backed Storm Petrel

Black-bellied Storm Petrel

Fregetta tropica

Small52 gMarine

They are usually black with a white band over the rump and white under the wings and on the flanks. A broad black stripe runs down the center of the belly, but may be broken or absent altogether. They have long legs, so the feet can be seen beyond the tail in flight. The legs and feet are black. They are silent mostly at sea. Noises can be heard from the breeding colonies; birds on the ground give a drawn-out shrill whistle.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ingvild Riska · CC BY 4.0

Grey-backed Storm Petrel

Garrodia nereis

Small38 gMarine

Grey-backed storm petrel is a small bird, 21-44 g in weight with a 39–40 cm wingspan. Like others in its family it is dark grey overall with a black head and belly, but it can be distinguished from other storm-petrels in its range by its light grey rump compared to the white rump on others. The Grey-backed petrel has a pale back, black legs, a square tail and a white belly.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Justin Ponder · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-bellied Storm Petrel and Grey-backed Storm Petrel.