European storm petrel

European storm petrel
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Procellariiformes
Family:	Hydrobatidae
Subfamily:	Hydrobatinae
Genus:	Hydrobates F. Boie, 1822
Species:	H. pelagicus
Binomial name
Hydrobates pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
H. p. pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) H. p. melitensis (Schembri, 1843)
European and Mediterranean range of H. pelagicus (Full range extends into the South Atlantic Ocean)   Known or probable breeding colonies   At-sea range in Northern Hemisphere summer
Synonyms
Procellaria pelagica Linnaeus, 1758

The European storm petrel, British storm petrel, or just storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) is a small seabid. It lives in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, around the coasts of Europe. Note that storm petrel can also refer to another group of birds, which mainly occur in the New World.

Storm petrels spend almost their whole life at sea. For breeding the come to shore, where they breed in large colonies. The bird has a well-developed sense of smell. It uses this to find its nest, or to find food, at night. In Europe, they can occasionally be seen at the Belgian coast, the Netherlands and the coast of Schleswig-Holstein.

It is one of the smallest seabirds. Its length is 16 centimetres (6.3 in) and wingspan about 37 centimetres (15 in). It weights about 27 grams (0.95 oz).It is usually black, with a white patch. The biggest known colony is probably that on Nólsoy, on the Faroe Islands. The birds can mainly be found in the ocean between Iceland, the Lofoten and the Faroe Islands.