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Shearwaters and and Petrels

29 Bird Species

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Non-vegetated Areas

0 species

Salt Water

29 species

Human-altered Areas

0 species

Fresh Water

0 species

Grassland and Scrubland

0 species

Forest and Woodlands

0 species