Birds and wildlife

Leach's Petrel

Hydrobates leucorhousGroup: Petrels and shearwatersUK Conservation status:Red

How to identify

The Leach's Petrel is a starling-sized seabird. These birds are all black underneath and mostly black above, apart from a white rump. It has a forked tail. The white rump has a black line down it. Leach's Petrels breed on remote islands off the UK and feed even further afield. It is specially protected by law and it's important that its breeding colonies are protected from introduced predators such as cats and rats. It is also listed as a Schedule 1 species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act offering it additional protection. They spend most of their time at sea, only approaching land to breed at night. Most British and Irish birds migrate in the winter to the tropics, although a few remain in the northern Atlantic.

Key

  1. Resident
  2. Passage
  3. Summer
  4. Winter
* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Key facts