Disorientated Mediterranean Storm-petrel released

Описание: This Mediterranean Storm-petrel (Kanġu ta' Filfla) was found stranded in Sliema by a member of the public and collected by BirdLife Malta staff. The reason that this bird was found in an urban area is probably because of light pollution, which causes the bird to be disorientated and attracted to the lights. European Storm-petrels breed on cliffs and the largest known population in Malta is situated on Filfla. The Mediterranean Storm-petrel is a subspecies of the European Storm-petrel.

The Latin name for the Mediterranean Storm-petrel is Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis. The family name (Hydrobatidae) derives from Greek words 'hudro' meaning water, and 'bates' meaning walker.

As their Latin name suggests, these birds are marine birds and are adapted for life at sea. Their bill is hooked, to allow them to grip slippery prey like small fish, molluscs, crustaceans and plankton. Also, they have nasal salt glands, which are connected to a fused nostril, which is used to excrete excess salt after drinking seawater.

If you ever come across this bird in an urban setting, use a cloth or a towel and put it in a cardboard box with some holes and place newspaper at the bottom. Do not feed the bird and put it in a dark quiet place and call BirdLife Malta. We will collect the bird, check its health state, ring it and release it at night in a safe and dark location.

Our LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija project aims to reduce light pollution close to some of the main seabird colonies in the Maltese Islands. Click here for more information about this ongoing project: http://birdlifemalta.org/arcipelaguga...

(Footage by BirdLife Malta, editing by Veerle van Werde)