PIM Fact Sheet for the Mediterranean Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis. The Mediterranean Storm Petrel is one of the most endangered species of seabird in the Mediterranean. It is confined to rat free sites along the western basin. information concerning its geographical distribution is still lacking, and only a few colonies are well studied, permitting the gathering of enough data to locally know their breeding success. It appears that the main threat impacting the species is the presence of rats in the colonies. Predation by Yellow-legged Gull has been demonstrated from various colonies in Spain, Sicily and Malta and there is also sufficient information to confirm the detrimental effect of light pollution on these birds, at least on several Mediterranean sites. Therefore, conservation efforts on the Mediterranean Storm Petrel should be focused on the improvement of its habitat conditions by limiting invasive species and the installation of artificial nest boxes known to substantially improve its survival rate and breeding success. Census of poorly known areas should be carried out in order to identify the distribution of all the significant colonies across the Mediterranean.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 11:56:51 +0000
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