Head to head
Wilson's Storm-petrel vs White-faced Storm-petrel
Wilson's Storm-petrel
VS White-faced Storm-petrel
Both are tiny, far-ranging storm-petrels, but they feed using two genuinely different surface techniques.
| Wilson's Storm-petrel | White-faced Storm-petrel | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Oceanites oceanicus | Pelagodroma marina |
| Feeding technique | Patters feet rapidly against the surface | Bounces across the surface using long, dangling legs |
| Population | Possibly the most numerous seabird on Earth | Widespread but not documented at comparable numbers |
| Breeding range | Antarctica and sub-Antarctic islands | Islands across the Southern Hemisphere and North Atlantic |
| Facial marking | Not distinctively marked | A striking pale white face |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Population trend | Stable | Stable |
| Habitat | Ocean, polar | Ocean |
Wilson's Storm-petrel vs White-faced Storm-petrel: common questions
Which one may be the most numerous seabird on Earth?
Wilson's storm-petrel holds this distinction by some estimates, with a total population thought to number in the tens of millions, a scale not documented for the white-faced storm-petrel.
How do their feeding techniques differ?
Wilson's storm-petrel patters its feet rapidly against the water while hovering, while the white-faced storm-petrel instead bounces across the surface using its unusually long legs, pushing off with both feet at once.
Which one has a distinctive white face?
The white-faced storm-petrel is the one with this feature, a strikingly pale face contrasting with darker upperparts, a marking not present in Wilson's storm-petrel.