biology

Townsend's storm petrel

Townsend's storm petrel is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Townsend's storm petrel rather than just read about it. In short: Townsend's storm petrel (Hydrobates socorroensis) is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae. It breeds in the summer on rocks and islets of Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico.

Key takeaways

Townsend's storm petrel belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Townsend's storm petrel to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Townsend's storm petrel from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Townsend's storm petrel (Hydrobates socorroensis) is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae. It breeds in the summer on rocks and islets of Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico. It ranges in the Eastern Pacific Ocean north to southern California in the United States and south to 10°N latitude. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Leach's storm petrel. It was formerly defined in the genus Oceanodroma before that genus was synonymized with Hydrobates.

References

Ainley, D.G. 1980. Geographic variation in Leach's Storm-Petrel. Auk 97: 837–853.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Townsend's storm petrel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Townsend's storm petrel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Townsend's storm petrel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Townsend's storm petrel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Townsend's storm petrel

In research: Townsend's storm petrel appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Townsend's storm petrel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Townsend's storm petrel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 1890, Birds of Mexico, Hydrobatidae, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Townsend's storm petrel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Townsend's storm petrel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Townsend's storm petrel means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Townsend's storm petrel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Townsend's storm petrel in simple terms?

Townsend's storm petrel (Hydrobates socorroensis) is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae. It breeds in the summer on rocks and islets of Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico.

Why does Townsend's storm petrel matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Townsend's storm petrel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Townsend's storm petrel.