BirdFellow - Birding services, social networking, and habitat conservation

Shearwaters and and Petrels

29 Bird Species

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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