Elliot's storm petrel is also known as the white-vented storm petrel and is found off the coasts of Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands, Peru and Chile. Not much is known about it. In fact, for many years their breeding grounds could not be found. Eventually a few nests were found on islets off of Chile. There are two subspecies, one only found off the Galapagos Islands, which I saw. It presumably breeds in the Galapagos Islands, but no nests for it have ever been found.
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| I found it flying near Baltra Island (where the airport is located) on our last day as we were getting ready to leave. It was flying around and near Galapagos shearwaters. I may have seen it in other places, but it was very difficult to photograph because it is small and was always flying and flying quickly. |
It is dark brown or black with a white rump, has a square tail and a broad pale patch on the underwing. Little is known about its diet, migration patterns, if any. It is kind of a fun mystery bird.
Wow, what a serendipitous discovery. I'm guessing not every birder catches a glimpse of one of these.
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