The Hawaiian Band-rumped Storm Petrel (вЂAkД“вЂakД“ Hydrobates castro ), a long-lived philopatric seabird, suffered massive population declines resulting in its listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2016 as federally Endangered. Species undergoing recovery may be predicted to have a genetic signature of a bottleneck, low genetic diversity, or higher rates of inbreeding. Seabirds in the order of Procellariiformes have one of the highest proportions of threatened species of any avian order. In that regard, much work remains to be done. Identifying this speciesвЂ™ breeding phenology, range, and habitat requirements is a key step to inform conservation efforts for BRSPs elsewhere in the archipelago. A model created to predict KauaвЂ™iwide distribution indicated that the key predictive variables, found in 85% of all models, were average rainfall, EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index to assess broad vegetation types), and slope. A large concentration of storm-petrel activity was also recorded on the southeastern slopes of Lehua Islet. Small pockets of BRSPs were also encountered in some of the wetter and heavily vegetated valleys associated with exposed rocky cliff faces. These areas are characterized by sparsely vegetated, very steep cliffs. Breeding colonies were found to be concentrated along the Na Pali coast, particularly within canyons from the Kalalau Valley to Polihale, as well as the Waimea Canyon. Unlike BRSP breeding populations in the GalГЎpagos, Azores, and Madeira, a winter breeding population was not apparent.

Our data show that the species arrives at breeding colonies on KauaвЂ™i in late May, with birds fledging from late September to mid-November.

We used several methods, including human auditory surveys, automated acoustic surveys, mist-netting, and data from a seabird rescue and rehabilitation program to assess the breeding phenology and distribution of BRSP on the island of KauaвЂ™i and adjacent Lehua Islet. The Hawaiian population is one of the most cryptic and under-studied seabird species in the archipelago, and its breeding phenology and distribution are poorly known. The Band-rumped Storm-petrel (BRSP) Oceanodroma castro has a large breeding range, spanning the warmer portions of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Band rumped storm petrel