Sooty Shearwater

Puffinus griseus

Order

PROCELLARIIFORMES

Family

Petrels and Shearwaters (Procellariidae)

Code 4

SOSH

Code 6

PUFGRI

ITIS

Breeding Location:

Islands, sandy or rocky, Islands, grassy

Breeding Type:

Colonial

Breeding Population:

Abundant

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with grasses or leaves.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Sooty Shearwater: Large shearwater with dark gray-brown body, darkest on tail and primaries. Underwing coverts are pale. Bill is long. Legs and feet are black. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Sooty Shearwater: Breeds on islands off southern South America and New Zealand. Spends summers in north Pacific and north Atlantic. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.

Breeding and Nesting

Sooty Shearwater: One white egg is laid in burrow lined with leaves and grass. Incubation ranges from 52 to 56 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Sooty Shearwater: Feeds on fish, squid, crustaceans, and offal from fishing boats; forages by making short plunge dives.

Vocalization

Sooty Shearwater: Makes inhaled and exhaled "koo-wah, koo-wah, koo-wah" notes on breeding grounds; usually silent at sea.

Similar Species

Sooty Shearwater: Short-tailed Shearwater is smaller and has a steeper forehead. Flesh-footed Shearwater has pink legs and bill.

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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 forbidden2.

Field Guide to Birds of North America