Scientific Name: Hydrobates monorhis
Malay Name: Lelayang-Laut Kelam Asia
Chinese Name: 黑叉尾海燕
Range: Breeds on the offshore islands of temperate Northeast Pacific from eastern China to Korea and Japan, passaging through the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean to winter.
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 20 cm
Identification: Small size, forked tail and overall sooty brown plumage with contrasting paler diagonal bar across upperwing-coverts.
Habitat: Open seas.
Behaviour/Ecology: Usually observed in small groups during migration, flying and gliding just above the water surface.
Local Status: Common migrant
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2018)
Location: Straits of Singapore.
- Pelagic Bird Trip at the Singapore Strait – 20 September 2020 (Trip Reports)
- Pelagic Bird Survey at the Singapore Strait – 5 May 2018 (Trip Reports)
- Pelagic Bird Survey at the Singapore Strait – 15 October 2016 (Trip Reports)
Featured reports: Sep 2022, Sep 2023, Oct 2023, Jun 2024, Sep 2024, Oct 2024
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel)
References:
BirdLife International. (2018). Hydrobates monorhis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22698520A132651372.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Swinhoe's Storm Petrel. Retrieved on April 27, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/swinhoes-storm-petrel.