Abstract

Hurricane Lothar, in December 1999, saw the displacement of many marine species into central Europe, including a Band-rumped/Monteiro’s/Cape Verde Storm-petrel H. castro/monteiroi/jabejabe, the first record for Switzerland and, indeed, central Europe. Using a toepad sample from the specimen, genetic data showed the bird to be a Band-rumped Storm-petrel Hydrobates castro from the North Atlantic, while the presence of a brood patch and the lack of moult suggest that the individual belonged to the winter (cold season) breeding population, ‘Grant’s Storm-petrel’ H. undescribed. This finding is consistent with three coastal or near-coastal records in Europe identified as Grant’s Storm-petrel, while the phenology of that population suggests that most European records of Band-rumped/Monteiro’s/Cape Verde Storm-petrel away from breeding grounds may be Grant’s Storm-petrel.