Oceanites gracilis
Silhouette: Mark Hannaford (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Elliot's storm petrel (Oceanites gracilis) is a species of seabird in the storm petrel family Oceanitidae. The species is also known as the white-vented storm petrel. It is a sooty-black storm petrel with a white rump and a white band crossing the lower belly and extending up the midline of the belly. It has long legs which extend beyond the body in flight.
In spite of the frequent sightings of this species it is very poorly known. Despite considerable research, only one nest had ever been found prior to 2003, that being on the Isla Chungungo, off the coast of Chile. During a survey in 2002, about eleven nests were found in three crevices on this island, but it was also being used by nesting Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and there seemed to be very few suitable sites for the petrels to nest. Another possible breeding site may be inland in the Atacama Desert; a mummified chick, verified by DNA analysis, has been found in a crevice here, and signs of former activities in various... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an Elliot's Storm Petrel sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 7,542 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 114 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, June–July and October
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report an Elliot's Storm Petrel in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against about 40% in January–February and August–September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Elliot's Storm Petrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Galápagos Islands, in our data
Galápagos Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Elliot's Storm Petrel sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Hydrobatidae
The closest relatives of the Elliot's Storm Petrel that you can see in Galápagos Islands (family Hydrobatidae, Northern Storm-Petrels) are Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel (about 20%) and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Elliot's Storm Petrel is recorded against all the birds logged in Galápagos Islands (7,542 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
