Atlas of Seabirds of Portugal

Distribution, movements and phenology

The Band-rumped Storm-petrel breeds in the Atlantic, specifically on the Berlengas, the Azores, Madeira (Portugal), Ascension and St Helena. In the Pacific, it breeds off the coast of Japan, in Hawaii and in the Galápagos (Billerman et al. 2026). In Madeira, there are two populations with distinct breeding seasons: a summer population, which breeds between March and October, and a winter population, which breeds between September and February (Granadeiro et al. 1998; Nunes 2000). In the remaining Portuguese colonies, the species breeds only in winter. Colonies have been identified on Farilhão Grande and Berlenga Island on the Mainland, on the island of Madeira, the Desertas and Selvagens islands in Madeira, and on Santa Maria, Graciosa, São Jorge, Terceira, São Miguel, Flores and Corvo in the Azores (Equipa Atlas 2022; Pipa et al. 2023). Based on the individual tracking of 22 birds fitted with GPS, from the colonies on the islet of Praia (Terceira) and Farilhão Grande, extensive use of the Portuguese EEZ was observed during the breeding season, particularly in the subregions of origin of the populations, the Azores and the Mainland. These birds showed a preference for marine areas situated north of their respective colonies, although some of them also appear to use waters further south as far as the coast of Morocco (Carreiro et al. 2020). After breeding, both summer and winter breeding birds migrate to the east coast of Central America and the Gulf of Mexico (Raül Ramos & Beñat Garcia-Urdangarin pers. comm.).

Abundance and population trends

The global population has been estimated at around 150,000 mature individuals, with a declining trend. The European population, meanwhile, has been estimated at between 6,600 and 6,900 pairs (BirdLife International 2025).

In Mainland Portugal, the population numbers around 420 to 784 pairs (Equipa Atlas 2022), showing interannual fluctuations (Oliveira et al. 2025a). In the Azores, the breeding population was estimated at between 664 and 1,173 pairs at the end of the 2010s, using passive acoustic monitoring, with evidence of a recent decline (Pipa & Silva 2021; Pipa et al. 2023; Pipa et al. 2024). For Madeira, there are no precise estimates of the size of the breeding populations, with a minimum of 5,000 pairs assumed (Equipa Atlas 2022). Despite fluctuations or declines, the populations on the Mainland and in the Azores have achieved Good Environmental Status for the abundance and productivity indicators.

Ecology and habitat

The Band-rumped Storm-petrel is a pelagic species, spending most of its annual life cycle in the open sea. Its diet consists of small pelagic fish of the Gadidae family, as well as cephalopods and deep-sea fish of the Myctophidae family; it may also feed on food scraps and fishing discards (Monteiro et al. 1996b; Carreiro et al. 2020; Billerman et al. 2026). It nests in small cavities or crevices in rocks, on islands and islets.

Threats and conservation

The presence of introduced mammals in the colonies, such as rats and cats, poses a serious threat through the predation of eggs, chicks and even adults, and may also lead to the abandonment of nesting sites (Monteiro et al. 1999; Raine et al. 2017). Predation by other animals, including wall lizards, Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis and nocturnal birds of prey, may also contribute to local declines (Matias & Catry 2010; Bried & Neves 2015; Oliveira et al. 2023a). Light pollution can cause disorientation and collisions with structures, but the species appears to have low susceptibility to this threat (Rodriguez & Rodriguez 2009; Raine et al. 2017).