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[First paragraph…] The c.130 species of albatrosses and petrels (Procellariiformes) all lay a single egg during each breeding attempt (Marchant & Higgins 1990; Warham 1990). There are few documented instances of members of the order laying a replacement egg following egg failure, and all but 1 of these examples has been from storm petrels (Hydrobatidae). Boersma et al. (1980) reported 29 nests of fork-tailed storm petrels (Oceanodroma furcata) where 2nd eggs were laid an average of 3 weeks after removal of the 1st egg (from a sample of 36 nests from which eggs were removed). In 1 nest, the same female laid a 3rd egg after the 2nd egg was removed. Both members of the pair were marked at only 1 of the 29 nests where replacement eggs were laid so the parentage of the replacement egg could not be confirmed, but at least 1 of the mates remained the same at a further 11 nests. Other examples of storm petrels apparently re-laying following egg failure include: British storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus), n = 2 (Gordon 1931; David 1957); Leach’s storm petrel (O. leucorhoa), n = 27, though only 1 instance was well-documented (Gross 1935; Wilbur 1969; Morse & Buchheister 1979); Madeiran storm petrel (O. castro), n = 8 (Allan 1962; Harris 1969); and Wilson’s storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), n = 1 (Beck & Brown 1972).