Discovery of the first breeding site of Markham’s Storm-petrel (Hydrobates markhami) in the south of Peru

Abstract

The Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates markhami) is considered “Near Threatened” worldwide, due to the high impact of light pollution and the destruction and degradation of its breeding habitat. So far, it is known that most of the breeding population is found in the colonies of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. However, some records of fledglings attracted to luminaries suggested the probable existence of breeding sites in southern Peru. Therefore, an expedition was carried out in the departments of Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna. During seven days, 2000 linear km were traveled in search of suitable substrate for breeding. The methodology included visual and olfactory inspection of cavities, complemented with the use of borescopes and playback; additionally, the search for individuals in flight was carried out with the help of binoculars and thermal visor. Fifteen nests of Markham’s Storm-Petrel were found in Pampa Pie de Candela, in the department of Tacna, two of which contained chicks between 60-90 days old. It was estimated to be a relatively marginal, sparsely populated colony, with about 30 breeding pairs in total. The colony is threatened by the advance of agriculture in the desert. This finding reveals the potential of southern Peru for the species and encourages the search for new colonies.