Scientific name: Hydrobates pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Shearwaters and Petrels
Field characters. Length 15-19 cm; wingspan 36-39 cm. Smallest European seabird. A long-winged sooty-coloured bird with conspicuous white rump and a square, black tail. Follows vessels at sea, fluttering back and forth across the wake with wavering bat-like flight and "dangling" legs. During breeding season only comes ashore at dark nights.
Voice. On the nesting place sustained, harsh and uneven purring notes, ending abruptly in a characteristic "chikka".
Distribution. Numerous summer visitor.
Habitat. Breeds on unsheltered and undisturbed turfy or rocky islands. Outside the breeding season an essentially pelagic bird.
Food. Chiefly small fish, surface crustaceans, medusae, cephalopods. Feeds during day by hovering and snatching prey from water surface.
Eggs. Without markings or with a few red-brown/lilac specks concentrated at large end of egg, ground colour white. Texture smooth, not glossy. Shape subelliptical/elliptical. Size 28 x 21 mm (25-30 x 19-23), weight 7 g (6-8).