Habitat of Endangered Band-rumped Storm Petrel Discovered in Hawaii

According to a Hawaii Tribune-Herald report, U.S. marine biologists discovered a habitat of the rare band-rumped storm petrel at an elevation of 7,000 feet.

The endangered storm petrel's habitat is reportedly within a U.S. Marine Corps military training area. The site is believed to be the only habitat of this rare bird species.

Lena Schnell, a senior project manager with a local natural resources organization, described the birds as the “last remaining generation of storm petrels on Earth.” She added that the birds' high-altitude flight helps them avoid predators.

However, experts say the endangered birds are still not safe from their natural predators.

“There are feral cats all over the island,” Schnell said, adding, “That tells us it is a place with abundant food resources.”

The storm petrel, Hawaii's smallest and rarest seabird, which Schnell said “can fit in the palm of your hand,” faces threats to its survival from rats and barn owls.

According to research findings scheduled to be submitted to an academic society, storm petrels were first detected in the area by “acoustic monitors” between 2010 and 2012. Continuous monitoring from 2015 to 2017 subsequently reconfirmed the location of the storm petrel habitat near Pu'u Koli.

Schnell said, “The researchers were originally looking for Hawaiian petrels, so they were extremely surprised to discover storm petrels unexpectedly.”

This rare seabird species inhabits the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and spends much of its time at sea. Schnell said researchers would continue studying the storm petrel habitat and do their utmost to develop measures to help the birds survive.