Short-tailed Shearwater

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

Codes: Common Name: SRTS Scientific Name: PUFTEN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174554

Breeding Location:

Islands, grassy

Breeding Type:

Colonial

Breeding Population:

Yes but uncommon, Abundant on breeding grounds

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

52 - 55

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with leaves.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Short-tailed Shearwater: Medium-sized shearwater with dark brown body and occasional traces of white in the center of upperwings. Feet are dark gray and trail slightly behind tail in flight. Tail is rounded. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Short-tailed Shearwater: Breeds on coasts and islands of southeastern Australia. Summer visitor to Pacific Coast of North America, from Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands south to California; rare south of British Columbia. Pelagic, comes ashore only to breed.

Breeding and Nesting

Short-tailed Shearwater: One white egg is laid in a leaf-lined chamber at the end of a burrow. Incubation ranges from 52 to 55 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Short-tailed Shearwater: Feeds on krill and small fish; usually forages at surface, but sometimes plunge dives for food.

Vocalization

Short-tailed Shearwater: Silent at sea.

Similar Species

Short-tailed Shearwater: Sooty Shearwater has a slightly longer bill and more pronounced white under the wings. Wedge-tailed Shearwater has a noticeably longer tail.

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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.

Short-tailed Shearwater

Short-tailed Shearwater: Medium shearwater with dark brown body and occasional traces of white in the center of upperwings. Bill is short and dark. Feet are dark gray and trail slightly behind tail in flight. Tail is rounded. Alternates strong flaps with long glides, often soars for long periods.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Short-tailed Shearwater: Feeds on krill and small fish; usually forages at surface, but sometimes plunge dives for food.

● Breeding & nesting: Short-tailed Shearwater: One white egg is laid in a leaf-lined chamber at the end of a burrow. Incubation ranges from 52 to 55 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Short-tailed Shearwater: Sooty Shearwater has a slightly longer bill and more pronounced white under the wings. Wedge-tailed Shearwater has a noticeably longer tail.

Flight Pattern

Purposeful strong flaps followed by long glides., Soars on brisk winds.

Short-tailed Shearwater Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Short-tailed Shearwater: Breeds on coasts and islands of southeastern Australia. Summer visitor to Pacific Coast of North America, from Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands south to California; rare south of British Columbia. Pelagic, comes ashore only to breed.

^BreedingColonial

^PopulationYes but uncommon, Abundant on breeding grounds

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight19.2 Ounces

Pelagic

The pelagic is a type of bird whose habitat is on the open ocean rather than in a coastal region or on inland bodies of water (lakes, rivers). An example of a pelagic bird is the blacklegged kittiwake.

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