The species breeds on islands in the warmer parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These include Farilhão Grande (a few tens of kilometres off mainland Portugal), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, and the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific. In 2018, the species was reported to have also started breeding on the Mauna Loa volcano on the Hawaiian Islands. Birds nest in colonies close to the sea in rock crevices and females lay a single white egg per breeding attempt. The band-rumped storm petrel spends the non-breeding period at sea. Individuals feed by picking up prey items (invertebrates, small vertebrates and sometimes carrion) from the water surface. A study aiming to determine the diving abilities of this species was actually conducted on the 'warm season' population from the Azores, which was later recognized as a distinct species (see below).