Wildlife

Leach Storm Petrel Welfare and Oceanic Survival

Leach storm petrels are remarkable small seabirds that spend most of their lives at sea, with welfare linked to oceanic food availability and breeding colony protection.

Key Facts

UK breeding population concentrated in Hebrides and St Kilda — around 40,000 pairs
Spend most of their lives at sea — only come to land to breed at night
Feed on small fish, squid and zooplankton far out to sea
Nest in burrows on predator-free islands — rat introduction causes colony collapse
Listed as vulnerable — global population declining due to bycatch and climate change

Welfare Considerations

Leach storm petrels face welfare threats across their entire life cycle — at sea from longline bycatch and plastic ingestion; at breeding colonies from introduced predators and human disturbance. Climate change alters prey distribution, forcing longer foraging trips that leave eggs and chicks exposed. Colony protection from rats and other predators through biosecurity and eradication programmes is the highest-impact welfare intervention for breeding populations.

What You Can Do

Support predator eradication and biosecurity on key storm petrel breeding islands
Advocate for longline fishing regulations that minimise seabird bycatch
Contribute to seabird monitoring programmes that track petrel colony trends
Support climate change mitigation to protect oceanic prey distribution
Engage with island conservation trusts managing key storm petrel breeding sites