Townsend's storm petrel is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae. It breeds in the summer on rocks and islets of Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico. It ranges in the Eastern Pacific Ocean north to southern California in the United States and south to 10°N latitude. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Leach's storm petrel. It was formerly defined in the genus Oceanodroma before that genus was synonymized with Hydrobates.
Region
Eastern Pacific Ocean
Typical Environment
Pelagic over the Eastern Pacific, especially within the California Current system. Regularly recorded from waters off Baja California north to southern California and south to about 10°N. Near land it is tied to rocky islets and sea cliffs where it nests in crevices and burrows. At sea it favors productive upwelling zones, fronts, and shelf edges, and approaches shore mostly during storms or near breeding colonies.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 300 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Townsend's storm petrel is a small nocturnal seabird, visiting nesting colonies only at night to avoid predators. It was long treated as part of Leach's storm petrel but is now recognized as a distinct species within Hydrobates. It breeds on rocky islets around Guadalupe Island, Mexico, and forages widely over the Eastern Pacific, often guided by scent to plankton-rich waters. Like many storm petrels, it lays a single egg and can live surprisingly long for its size.
Temperament
social at sea, secretive and nocturnal around colonies
Flight Pattern
buoyant, bounding flight with short rapid wingbeats and glides
Social Behavior
Highly colonial, nesting in rock crevices or burrows on small islets. Visits colonies at night to reduce predation risk; pairs are largely monogamous and reuse sites. Clutches are a single egg, with shared incubation and extended chick-rearing.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
At colonies gives soft, purring trills and chatter-like calls, often delivered from within crevices. Flight calls are thin and less often heard, generally at night.
