Little Shearwater

Puffinus assimilisOrder: PROCELLARIIFORMES Family: Petrels and Shearwaters (Procellariidae)

Codes: Common Name: LISH Scientific Name: PUFASS ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174559

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Overview

Little Shearwater: Tiny shearwater, dark brown upperparts and white underparts; dark cap extends only to eye. Bill is short and black. Swims and dives for food, picks food off surface of water. Feeds on fish and squid. Flight is low, fast and straight, alternates rapid wing beats and banking glides.

Range and Habitat

Little Shearwater: Breeds on scattered islands on the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, roams widely in the Southern Hemisphere or eastern Atlantic Ocean in the nonbreeding season. Recorded three times on the Atlantic Coast of North America.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Voice Text

Generally silent

Interesting Facts

The Little Shearwater is sometimes called Southern Little Shearwater to distinguish it from the North Atlantic Little Shearwater which was formerly included in this species.

It breeds in colonies on islands and coastal cliffs, nesting in burrows which are only visited at night to avoid predation by large gulls.

Despite the scientific name, this species is completely unrelated to puffins, which are auks, the only resemblance being that they are both burrow-nesting seabirds.

A group of shearwaters are collectively known as an "improbability" of shearwaters.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Little Shearwater

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Little Shearwater: Feeds on fish, squid, and crustaceans. Dives and swims for food, also picks food off surface of water, pattering with feet across water while holding wings above back.

● Breeding & nesting: Little Shearwater: Nests in colonies on rocky or grassy islands. Lays one white egg in burrow or rock crevice. Both parents incubate for 52 to 58 days, alternating every 2 days. Chick flies at 70 to 75 days.

● Similar species: Little Shearwater: Audubon Shearwater is slightly larger, has a dark face, and more dark coloration on its underwings.

Flight Pattern

Alternates high soaring arcs and glides with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Little Shearwater: Breeds on scattered islands on the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, roams widely in the Southern Hemisphere or eastern Atlantic Ocean in the nonbreeding season. Recorded three times on the Atlantic Coast of North America.

^BreedingColonial

^PopulationAbundant on breeding grounds

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight8 Ounces

Gull-like Body

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America