Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel

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 passage migrant

Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2018)

Location: Straits of Singapore.

Photos:

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel at Singapore Strait. Photo credit: Francis Yap

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel at Singapore Strait. Photo credit: Francis Yap

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel at Singapore Strait. Photo credit: Francis Yap

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel at Singapore Strait. Photo credit: See Toh Yew Wai

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel at Singapore Strait

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel at Singapore Strait

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel at Singapore Strait

External Links:
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Photos: Oriental Bird Images
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

References:
BirdLife International. (2018). Hydrobates monorhis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018. Downloaded on 2 September 2021
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2008). A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia. New Holland Publishers.