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Shearwaters and and Petrels

Shearwaters and and Petrels

29 Bird Species
Audubon's Shearwater

Audubon's Shearwater

A small, compact shearwater of the Atlantic Coast. Adult is uniformly dark above, with white underwing linings framed by black leading and trailing edges, and dark undersides to the primaries, black cap and nape, white cheeks, and thin, dark bill. At close range, a small white spot is visible in fron more...

Length: 30 cm Wingspan: 69 cm

Barolo Shearwater

Barolo Shearwater

The taxonomy of this very small black and white shearwater, which is a rare visitor to northwest Atlantic waters, has been the subject of some debate. The AOU formerly lumped this bird in with Southern Hemisphere nominate Little Shearwater, along with "Boyd's Shearwater" (P. boydi in some sources). T more...

Length: 27 cm Wingspan: 58 cm

Bermuda Petrel

Bermuda Petrel

Also called Bermuda Petrel; recorded in North America off the Carolinas. Adult has dark gray nape and back with a weak blackish M pattern on the upperwings that connects across darker upper rump. Whitish U-shaped lower rump patch contrasts with dark gray tail. Shows a broad black leading edge on unde more...

Length: 38 cm Wingspan: 89 cm

Black-capped Petrel

Black-capped Petrel

Adult has black cap framed by a white neck collar and white forehead, dark gray back, black upper wings, and an extensive white rump with a black tail. Underwings are mostly white, with a black leading edge, and grayish undersides to the primaries. Underparts are clean with a variable tongue of dark more...

Length: 41 cm Wingspan: 94 cm

Black-vented Shearwater

Black-vented Shearwater

A small, compact shearwater of the Southern Pacific Coast. Adult is uniformly dark above and mostly white below with a thin dark bill. Undertail is dark. Underwing linings are white, framed by a narrow dark leading edge of the underwings and dark flight feathers. Face and neck are dusky with these ma more...

Length: 36 cm Wingspan: 86 cm

Buller's Shearwater

Buller's Shearwater

A slender, compact, crisply-plumaged shearwater. Adult has clean white underparts and underwings with narrow dark border, gray upperwings with striking black diagonal markings, black cap and nape, black tail, and relatively long bill. more...

Length: 41 cm Wingspan: 102 cm

Bulwer's Petrel

Bulwer's Petrel

A small, dark petrel with unusually long wings and long pointed tail. Tail is actually wedge-shaped, but usually appears pointed. Tail, body and head dark brown. Dark eye and small dark bill. Dark brown wings with darker brown wingtips and trailing edge. Conspicuous pale-brown carpal bar tapering fro more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 78 cm

Cape Verde Shearwater

Cape Verde Shearwater

Accidental off mid-Atlantic Coast. Adult has brownish wings and head, white underwings with black leading and trailing edges, white underparts, and thin black bill. Once considered a subspecies of Cory's Shearwater. Cory's is larger, with chunkier and longer wings, and has yellow bill. more...

Length: 40 cm Wingspan: 108 cm

Cook's Petrel

Cook's Petrel

This small fast-flying petrel has gray crown, back, wings, and tail, with dark, contrasting M-shaped pattern on upperwings. Tail has a dark tip. Underparts are mostly white with narrow black leading and trailing edge on underwings. At rest, white flanks show above waterline. The face has a white thro more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 66 cm

Cory's Shearwater

Cory's Shearwater

A relatively large, heavy-bodied shearwater of the Atlantic. Adult is mostly white underneath with white wing linings framed by dark gray under-primaries and border on the lead edge of the underwing. Almost entirely gray to gray-brown above with slightly darker wingtips; head is gray-brown cap and na more...

Length: 46 cm Wingspan: 112 cm

Fea's Petrel

Fea's Petrel

Adult has gray crown, nape, back and wings, M-shaped black pattern on upperwings, dark underwings, white underparts, pale rump, black patch surrounding the eye, and thick dark bill. Extremely similar Zino's Petrel is smaller with thinner bill. Black-capped Petrel is larger with black bar on white und more...

Length: 38 cm Wingspan: 86 cm

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Flesh-footed Shearwater

A relatively large, bulky, all-dark shearwater. Adult is blackish brown overall; plumage is uniformly dark and the underwing linings are near black. Legs and bill are pink. Broader-winged than Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters, which have dark bills and pearly gray to near white wing linings. more...

Length: 50 cm Wingspan: 109 cm

Great Shearwater

Great Shearwater

Adult has dark brownish upperwings, white underwings with black borders, white underparts except for smudgy brownish mottling on belly and black undertail. Black cap contrasts sharply with white neck collar (when present), white chin, and throat. Note that the nape can be either white or brown. Large more...

Length: 48 cm Wingspan: 112 cm

Great-winged Petrel

Great-winged Petrel

This large petrel is distinguished by its uniform blackish-brown color (which fades to more brownish with wear), thick black bill, and bulky build. The legs and feet are black. At close range, note the pale gray feathering around the base of the bill, extending onto the chin and throat. The underside more...

Length: 38 cm Wingspan: 97 cm

Hawaiian Petrel

Hawaiian Petrel

This long-winged Pterodroma is generally dark above and white below, with a conspicuous white forehead and face and white throat. This species a long dark tail–proportionally longer-tailed than other North Pacific procellarids–that tapers to a narrow point, upperwings, back, rump, and hood are da more...

Length: 43 cm Wingspan: 91 cm

Herald Petrel

Herald Petrel

A relatively long-winged petrel, rare off the mid-Atlantic coast. Adult is sooty-gray overall with pale under-primaries and coverts on otherwise dark underwings, uniformly brown upperwings, and short black bill. Light-morph adults, rarely recorded in North America, have whitish underparts, throat, an more...

Length: 39 cm Wingspan: 95 cm

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  • Audubon's Shearwater

    Audubon's Shearwater

    7 Photographs
  • Barolo Shearwater

    Barolo Shearwater

    0 Photographs
  • Bermuda Petrel

    Bermuda Petrel

    0 Photographs
  • Black-capped Petrel

    Black-capped Petrel

    2 Photographs
  • Black-vented Shearwater

    Black-vented Shearwater

    3 Photographs
  • Buller's Shearwater

    Buller's Shearwater

    5 Photographs
  • Bulwer's Petrel

    Bulwer's Petrel

    0 Photographs
  • Cape Verde Shearwater

    Cape Verde Shearwater

    0 Photographs
  • Cook's Petrel

    Cook's Petrel

    0 Photographs
  • Cory's Shearwater

    Cory's Shearwater

    1 Photograph
  • Fea's Petrel

    Fea's Petrel

    0 Photographs
  • Flesh-footed Shearwater

    Flesh-footed Shearwater

    1 Photograph
  • Great Shearwater

    Great Shearwater

    7 Photographs
  • Great-winged Petrel

    Great-winged Petrel

    4 Photographs
  • Hawaiian Petrel

    Hawaiian Petrel

    2 Photographs
  • Herald Petrel

    Herald Petrel

    5 Photographs

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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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