Birds
Storm-Petrel
Hydrobatidae · also called storm petrels
A storm-petrel flutters low over open ocean, feet pattering rapidly against the surface in a motion that looks, from any distance, remarkably like walking on water. That resemblance did not go unnoticed by whoever first named the family, drawing a direct line to the biblical story of Saint Peter attempting the same trick.
Overview
The storm-petrel, family Hydrobatidae, is among the smallest seabirds in the world, found across ocean waters worldwide. It spends nearly its entire life far from land, foraging by fluttering low and pattering its feet across the surface to locate small prey.
A life almost entirely at sea
Coming ashore only briefly to nest in a burrow visited exclusively after dark, a storm-petrel spends the vast majority of its existence over open water, a genuinely ocean-bound lifestyle for a bird small enough to fit easily in one hand.
Status
Least Concern collectively — widespread and abundant across open ocean habitat worldwide, with some species facing localised threats from introduced predators at breeding colonies.
Storm-Petrel: common questions
Why does a storm-petrel look like it is walking on water?
A storm-petrel often patters its feet rapidly against the water's surface while hovering and fluttering just above the waves, a foraging technique used to help locate and capture small prey near the surface, and this distinctive motion creates the visual impression of the bird walking on water even though it remains airborne throughout.
Where does the name petrel actually come from?
The name petrel is widely believed to reference the biblical account of Saint Peter walking on water, a connection inspired directly by the bird's own surface-pattering foraging behaviour, which visually resembles a small bird appearing to walk across the ocean's surface.
Why does a storm-petrel only visit its nest at night?
A storm-petrel typically nests in an underground burrow or rock crevice and generally visits the nest site only under cover of darkness, a behaviour believed to help reduce the risk of predation from larger birds that might otherwise target the smaller storm-petrel or its eggs and chicks during daylight hours.
How much time does a storm-petrel actually spend on land?
A storm-petrel spends the overwhelming majority of its life over open ocean, often far from any land, and generally comes ashore only during the relatively brief breeding season to nest at a remote island or coastal colony, making it one of the more thoroughly ocean-adapted groups of seabirds.