![\"\"](\"https:\/\/birdfinding.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/JapaneseStormPetrel1.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a9 Yann Muzika<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Birdfinding.info \u21d2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 The Japanese endemic form of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel<\/strong><\/a> is rare, little-known, and declining.\u00a0 It is sometimes seen on offshore trips from ports in northeastern Honshu and Hokkaido during the breeding season, between May and November, especially offshore from Miyako and Fukushima in mid-summer.\u00a0 Several observations of band-rumped-type storm-petrels from the Solomon Islands south to Lord Howe Island during March and April in the late 2010s and \u201820s seem most likely to refer to this form.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Hydrobates castro kumagai<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Family: Hydrobatidae<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Breeds in Japan; apparently migrates to the southwestern Pacific.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Breeds on islets along the northeast coast of Honshu, where it is known mainly from Hide-jima in Iwate Prefecture.\u00a0 That colony declined precipitously from 25,000 pairs in the mid-1960s to 36 pairs in 2010.\u00a0 Presumably nests on additional islets along the Iwate coast, as is suspected on Funakoshi-oshima and Sangan-jima.<\/p> Present in Japanese waters from May to November.\u00a0 Its whereabouts during the rest of the year are unknown, but there are a handful of records that suggest migration to the Coral and Tasman Seas during the boreal winter.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Identification<\/strong><\/span><\/p> As a form or potentially cryptic species within the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel<\/strong><\/a> complex, \u201cJapanese\u201d is visually indistinguishable from other Pacific band-rumped-type storm-petrels\u2014and it may be best merged with \u201cHawaiian\u201d<\/strong><\/a>, as the two seem to be effectively identical.<\/p> Identification is based solely on geographical probability\u2014i.e., any band-rumped-type storm-petrel observed in the western North Pacific is presumed to be \u201cJapanese\u201d.\u00a0 (Recent records from the southwestern Pacific, in waters of the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Lord Howe Island, during March and April might refer to either \u201cJapanese\u201d or \u201cHawaiian\u201d or some of both.)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d, H. c. kumagai<\/em>.\u00a0 (Offshore from Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan; October 13, 2010.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Kouta Kurasawa<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Like other band-rumped-type storm-petrels, \u201cJapanese\u201d is dark-brown overall, with an even white band across the rump that usually extends partway down the sides of the rump to the undertail.\u00a0 Its tail usually appears either square-tipped or shallowly notched.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Band-rumped-type storm-petrels strongly resemble storm-petrels of other groups (such as Leach\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> and Wilson\u2019s<\/strong><\/a>), and are best distinguished by their characteristic flight pattern: which is comparatively steady and stable, often gliding on flat wings like a shearwater.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d, H. c. kumagai<\/em>.\u00a0 (Offshore from Miyako, Iwate, Honshu, Japan; July 14, 2018.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Hiroyuki & Shoko Tanoi<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t As with most dark storm-petrels, all band-rumped-types typically show a paler brown or whitish diagonal stripe on the wing coverts, but the boldness varies depending on molt-stage and lighting.\u00a0 So the apparent color and boldness of the wingbar can provide clues to the age and molt-stage of closely observed individuals.<\/p> Juveniles and freshly molted adults have the most pronounced wingbars.\u00a0 On juveniles the bar appears silvery.\u00a0 On fresh adults, the bar is blond.\u00a0 With feather-wear, the bar diminishes and may disappear entirely by the time the next molt begins.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d, H. c. kumagai<\/em>.\u00a0 (Offshore from Rokkasho, Aomori, Honshu, Japan; August 23, 2019.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Hiroyuki & Shoko Tanoi<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d, H. c. kumagai<\/em>, seems to be the most likely identification of band-rumped-type storm-petrels in the Coral Sea during March and April.\u00a0 (Offshore from Southport, Queensland, Australia; March 14, 2021.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Elliot Leach<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Voice.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 There appear to be no publicly available recordings.\u00a0 In general, band-rumped-type storm-petrels give two main call-types at breeding colonies, chattering and purring, but they differ in their patterns.<\/p> Studies of the vocalizations of North Atlantic band-rumpeds have been instrumental to understanding the relationships among similar-looking forms.\u00a0 Such studies in the Pacific will likely be needed to understand the taxonomic status of each breeding population.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Notes<\/strong><\/span><\/p> Monotypic form, one of seven or more potentially distinct forms of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel<\/strong><\/a> (castro<\/em>), which is in the midst of taxonomic revisions.\u00a0 Eventually, it seems likely that the Pacific forms will be classified as one or more species separate from the Atlantic forms.<\/p> Howell and Zufelt (2019) provisionally classify of each Pacific breeding population as a separate species: \u201cJapanese\u201d (kamagai<\/em>), \u201cHawaiian\u201d<\/strong><\/a> (cryptoleucurus<\/em>), \u201cDarwin\u2019s\u201d<\/strong><\/a> (bangsi<\/em>), and \u201cSpear\u2019s\u201d (sp. nova).\u00a0 The latter two forms refer to seasonally distinct breeding populations of the Gal\u00e1pagos, which are not known to be distinguishable except based on their egg-laying calendars.<\/p> A study published in 2019 (Taylor et al.) concluded that all of the Pacific forms were closely related to one another, but also to one of the South Atlantic forms (helena<\/em>).\u00a0 The close affiliation of the Pacific populations is not surprising, but their apparent affiliation with one Atlantic population presents an unanticipated complication.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Additional Photos of \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d, H. c. kumagai<\/em>.\u00a0 (Offshore from Rokkasho, Aomori, Honshu, Japan; August 23, 2019.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Hiroyuki & Shoko Tanoi<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d, H. c. kumagai<\/em>, seems to be the most likely identification of band-rumped-type storm-petrels in the Coral Sea during March and April.\u00a0 (Offshore from Southport, Queensland, Australia; March 13, 2021.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Elliot Leach<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cJapanese Storm-Petrel\u201d, H. c. kumagai<\/em>, seems to be the most likely identification of band-rumped-type storm-petrels in the Coral Sea during March and April.\u00a0 (Offshore from Southport, Queensland, Australia; March 13, 2021.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Elliot Leach<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/birdfinding.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/JapaneseStormPetrel2.jpg\")
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