Threats and Conservation
Several species of storm petrel are threatened by human activities. Two, the Guadalupe Storm Petrel, and the New Zealand Storm Petrel, are listed as critically endangered. The Guadalupe Storm Petrel has not been observed since 1906 and most authorities consider it extinct. The New Zealand Storm Petrel was also considered extinct for many years but was sighted again in 2003, though the population is likely to be very small. One species (the Ashy Storm Petrel) is listed as endangered by the IUCN due to a 42% decline over twenty years, and two other species are also listed as near threatened or worse. In addition four species are so poorly known that they are listed as data deficient. For two species, the recently rediscovered New Zealand Storm Petrel and the Ringed Storm Petrel, even the sites of their breeding colonies remain a mystery.
Storm petrels face the same threats as other seabirds, in particular they are threatened by introduced species. The Guadalupe Storm Petrel was driven to extinction by feral cats, and introduced predators such as have also been responsible for declines in other species. Habitat degradation which limits nesting opportunities caused by introduced goats and pigs is also a problem, especially if it increases competition from more aggressive burrowing petrels.
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