Photo: Carla Stanley · Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · Public Domain
Seabirds
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma furcata
A pale blue-gray storm-petrel with a forked tail — one of only two storm-petrels in the world with pale plumage. Flutters and glides low over the wave surface, pattering its feet on the water. Breeds in burrows on grassy islands throughout the Aleutians and Pribilofs.
Where to look
Open North Pacific and Bering Sea; breeding colonies on many Aleutian Islands and on St. Paul and St. George (Pribilofs). Nocturnal at colonies.
Habitat
Open ocean; earthy burrows on offshore islands.
Diet
Small fish, squid, and crustaceans plucked from the surface.
Natural history note
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels form lifelong pair bonds and return to the same burrow year after year, recognizing their mate partly by a musky, tube-nose scent.