Leach's petrel

The Leach's petrel is a starling-sized seabird. These birds are all black underneath and mostly black above, apart from a white rump. It has a forked tail. The white rump has a black line down it.

Leach's petrels breed on remote offshore islands to the UK and feed out beyond the continental shelf. It is specially protected by law and it's important that its breeding colonies are protected from introduced predators such as cats and rats. It is also listed as a Schedule 1 species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act offering it additional protection.

They spend most of their time at sea, only approaching land to breed at night. Most British and Irish birds migrate in the winter to the tropics, although a few remain in the northern Atlantic.

The best place to look for Leach's petrels is from seawatching points around the coast in the autumn, particularly during strong winds. Very occasionally, birds turn up on inland waters, but this is usually storm-driven exhausted birds. Breeds on offshore islands in northern and western Scotland.