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Shearwaters and and Petrels

Shearwaters and and Petrels

29 Bird Species
Manx Shearwater

Manx Shearwater

A small, compact, fast flying, light-bellied shearwater. Adult has white underparts, white undertail coverts, white underwings with dark trailing edge, uniform blackish-brown upperparts, white on throat curling up behind eye, dark head and nape, and thin black bill. Flanks are white at rest. Compare more...

Length: 34 cm Wingspan: 84 cm

Mottled Petrel

Mottled Petrel

Adult has gray crown, back, wings, and tail, with dark, M-shaped pattern on upperwings. Tail has a dark tip. Underparts are distinctive, with a white throat and breast, contrasting with a medium gray belly and vent. Bold black bars mark the leading edge of the mostly white underwings. At rest, gray f more...

Length: 36 cm Wingspan: 32 cm

Murphy's Petrel

Murphy's Petrel

Adult is medium charcoal-gray overall with a weak suggestion of dark M pattern on upperwings, pale chin, and short black bill. Underwings are paler silvery gray, slightly paler, but not white, at the base of the primaries. Flight style is more shearwater-like with lots of lateral direction changes; a more...

Length: 41 cm Wingspan: 97 cm

Newell's Shearwater

Newell's Shearwater

Small black-and-white shearwater similar in appearance to several species including Townsend's, Manx, and Audubon's Shearwaters. Entirely dark above with the exception of some white wrapping up onto the base of the sides of the upper tail. Underparts are entirely white except for the undertail covert more...

Length: 35 cm Wingspan: 77 cm

Northern Fulmar

Northern Fulmar

Relatively stocky and short-winged compared to shearwaters and petrels. Adult has pale inner primaries, dark smudge around eye, and short, thick yellow bill. Two color morphs: light adult has white underparts, speckled gray back, and white head; dark adult is gray overall without white plumage. Wings more...

Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 107 cm

Parkinson's Petrel

Parkinson's Petrel

Large, dark petrel, accidental off California. Blackish-brown overall with silvery flash on underside of primaries, yellowish-white bill with black tip. Also known as Black Petrel. Flesh-footed Shearwater has pink feet and different flight style. more...

Length: 46 cm Wingspan: 115 cm

Pink-footed Shearwater

Pink-footed Shearwater

A relatively large, bulky, light-bellied shearwater of the Pacific. Adult is smudgy brown to gray-brown above, with mottled white and brown underwings, white belly, brownish flanks, dark brown head, and pale bill with a dark tip. Back usually looks paler than wings. Underwing linings are mostly white more...

Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 109 cm

Short-tailed Shearwater

Short-tailed Shearwater

An all-dark shearwater of the Pacific. Adult is sooty gray overall with silvery panels on underwings and relatively thin, short, dark bill. Wings are long and narrow, generally held straight out in wheeling and banking flight. Has shorter, thinner bill and smudgier underwings than Sooty Shearwater, m more...

Length: 41 cm Wingspan: 97 cm

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

An all-dark shearwater, common off Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Adult is sooty gray overall with silvery panels on underwings and relatively long, dark bill. Has longer bill than Short-tailed Shearwater, more slender shape than Northern Fulmar. Wings are long and narrow, generally held straight out i more...

Length: 46 cm Wingspan: 104 cm

Stejneger's Petrel

Stejneger's Petrel

Adult has dark crown and nape that contrast with gray back, wings, and tail. Dark M-shaped pattern on upperwings. Uniformly dark tail lacks white outer feathers. Underparts are mostly white with narrow black leading and trailing edge on underwings. At rest, white flanks show above waterline. The face more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 66 cm

Streaked Shearwater

Streaked Shearwater

Rare visitor off California. Adult has pale head with uniform thin streaks, dark upperwings and back, white underparts, white underwings with unmarked axillaries and dark primary coverts, and pinkish bill. Flight is relatively slow, soaring. more...

Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 122 cm

Townsend's Shearwater

Townsend's Shearwater

Accidental off California. Adult is black above with white underparts, white underwings with black leading and trailing edges, black cap and nape, white flanks, and thin black bill. Black-vented Shearwater is less crisply demarcated black and white, and has brownish tones. Also compare Manx Shearwate more...

Length: 33 cm Wingspan: 83 cm

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Casual off California. Dark morph adult is brown overall with pale-based flight feathers, flesh-colored legs, and thin black bill. Light morph, less frequent in North America, is mostly white below with dark flight feathers, head, and upperparts. Wedge-shaped tail usually held closed; difficult to se more...

Length: 43 cm Wingspan: 101 cm

White-chinned Petrel

White-chinned Petrel

Large, bulky sooty-black petrel. Thick whitish-yellow bill. Limited white on chin. Long wings with silvery undersides to the primaries. Black feet. Formerly considered conspecific with Spectacled Petrel which is unrecorded in North America. Flesh-footed Shearwater is less bulky, more brownish overall more...

Length: 55 cm Wingspan: 141 cm

  • Manx Shearwater

    Manx Shearwater

    4 Photographs
  • Mottled Petrel

    Mottled Petrel

    2 Photographs
  • Murphy's Petrel

    Murphy's Petrel

    0 Photographs
  • Newell's Shearwater

    Newell's Shearwater

    0 Photographs
  • Northern Fulmar

    Northern Fulmar

    20 Photographs
  • Parkinson's Petrel

    Parkinson's Petrel

    0 Photographs
  • Pink-footed Shearwater

    Pink-footed Shearwater

    21 Photographs
  • Short-tailed Shearwater

    Short-tailed Shearwater

    3 Photographs
  • Sooty Shearwater

    Sooty Shearwater

    12 Photographs
  • Stejneger's Petrel

    Stejneger's Petrel

    0 Photographs
  • Streaked Shearwater

    Streaked Shearwater

    1 Photograph
  • Townsend's Shearwater

    Townsend's Shearwater

    0 Photographs
  • Wedge-tailed Shearwater

    Wedge-tailed Shearwater

    3 Photographs
  • White-chinned Petrel

    White-chinned Petrel

    2 Photographs

Non-vegetated-areas-sm

Non-vegetated Areas

0 species

Salt-water-sm

Salt Water

29 species

Audubon's Shearwater

Audubon's Shearwater

Puffinus lherminieri

Open Ocean
Barolo Shearwater

Barolo Shearwater

Puffinus baroli

Open Ocean
Bermuda Petrel

Bermuda Petrel

Pterodroma cahow

Open Ocean
Black-capped Petrel

Black-capped Petrel

Pterodroma hasitata

Open Ocean
Black-vented Shearwater

Black-vented Shearwater

Puffinus opisthomelas

Open Ocean, Inshore Waters
Buller's Shearwater

Buller's Shearwater

Puffinus bulleri

Open Ocean
Bulwer's Petrel

Bulwer's Petrel

Bulweria bulwerii

Open Ocean
Cape Verde Shearwater

Cape Verde Shearwater

Calonectris edwardsii

Open Ocean
Cook's Petrel

Cook's Petrel

Pterodroma cookii

Open Ocean
Cory's Shearwater

Cory's Shearwater

Calonectris diomedea

Open Ocean
Fea's Petrel

Fea's Petrel

Pterodroma feae

Open Ocean
Flesh-footed Shearwater

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Puffinus carneipes

Open Ocean
Great Shearwater

Great Shearwater

Puffinus gravis

Open Ocean, Inshore Waters
Great-winged Petrel

Great-winged Petrel

Pterodroma macroptera

Open Ocean
Hawaiian Petrel

Hawaiian Petrel

Pterodroma sandwichensis

Open Ocean
Herald Petrel

Herald Petrel

Pterodroma heraldica

Open Ocean
Manx Shearwater

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

Open Ocean, Inshore Waters
Mottled Petrel

Mottled Petrel

Pterodroma inexpectata

Open Ocean
Murphy's Petrel

Murphy's Petrel

Pterodroma ultima

Open Ocean
Northern Fulmar

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Open Ocean, Inshore Waters, Coastal Cliffs
Parkinson's Petrel

Parkinson's Petrel

Procellaria parkinsoni

Open Ocean
Pink-footed Shearwater

Pink-footed Shearwater

Puffinus creatopus

Open Ocean
Short-tailed Shearwater

Short-tailed Shearwater

Puffinus tenuirostris

Open Ocean, Inshore Waters
Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

Puffinus griseus

Open Ocean, Inshore Waters
Stejneger's Petrel

Stejneger's Petrel

Pterodroma longirostris

Open Ocean, Coastal Cliffs
Streaked Shearwater

Streaked Shearwater

Calonectris leucomelas

Open Ocean
Townsend's Shearwater

Townsend's Shearwater

Puffinus auricularis

Open Ocean
Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Puffinus pacificus

Open Ocean
White-chinned Petrel

White-chinned Petrel

Procellaria aequinoctialis

Open Ocean
Human-altered-areas-sm

Human-altered Areas

0 species

Fresh-water-sm

Fresh Water

0 species

Grassland-and-scrubland-sm

Grassland and Scrubland

0 species

Forest-and-woodlands-sm

Forest and Woodlands

0 species

30
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