Markham's storm petrel
Markham's storm petrel (Hydrobates markhami) is a seabird native to the Pacific Ocean around Peru, Chile, and Ecuador. The bird is named in honor of British explorer Albert Hastings Markham, who collected the specimen that in 1883 led to the scientific description of the species. It is a large and slender storm petrel, with a wingspan between 49 and 54 cm (19 and 21 in). Its plumage is black to sooty brown with a grayish bar that runs diagonally across the upper side of the wings. A member of the family Hydrobatidae, the northern storm petrels, the species is similar to the black storm-petrel (Hydrobates melania), from which it can be difficult to distinguish.
| Markham's storm petrel | |
|---|---|
| Bird off Peru | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Hydrobatidae |
| Genus: | Hydrobates |
| Species: | H. markhami |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrobates markhami (Salvin, 1883) | |
Non-breeding range | |
| Synonyms | |
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A colonial breeder, the species nests in natural cavities in salt crusts in northern Chile and Peru, with ninety-five percent of the known colonies found in the Atacama Desert. The first colony was only reported in 1993, and it is expected that more colonies are yet to be discovered. Pairs produce one egg per season, which is laid on bare ground without any nesting material. Parents will attend their brood only at night, returning to the sea before dawn. The timing of the breeding season significantly varies both within and in-between colonies, for unknown reasons. The diet of Markham's storm petrel consists of fish, cephalopods such as octopuses, and crustaceans, with about ten percent of stomach contents traceable to scavenging.
The species is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Despite their relatively large population, which was estimated at between 150,000 and 180,000 individuals in 2019, the species is in decline. Primary threats are habitat destruction due to mining of the salt crusts the birds rely on for breeding, and light pollution by mines and cities near the colonies. Light pollution can attract or disorient fledglings that make their first flight to the sea, and has been estimated to be responsible for the death of around 20,000 fledglings each year, which might amount to one third of all fledglings.