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Bird name:

Short-tailed Shearwater

Puffinus tenuirostrisOrder: PROCELLARIIFORMES Family: Petrels and Shearwaters (Procellariidae)
Codes: Common Name: SRTS Scientific Name: PUFTEN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174554
Short-tailed Shearwater Head Illustration

Head

Topo Map: Gull-like Head
  • Bill Shape: Hooked Seabird
  • Eye Color: Dark brown to black-brown.
  • Head Pattern: Plain
  • Crown Color: Dark Brown
  • Forehead Color: Dark Brown
  • Nape Color: Dark Brown
  • Throat Color: Dark Brown
  • Cere color: No Data
Splitbar

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Short-tailed Shearwater Body Illustration

Body

Topo Map: Gull-like Body
  • Length Range: 41-43 cm (16-17 in)
  • Weight: 544 g (19.2 oz)
  • Size: Size 4. Large (16 - 32 in)
  • Color: Brown, Black
  • Underparts: Dark Brown
  • Upperparts: Dark Brown
  • Back Pattern: Solid
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Short-tailed Shearwater Flight Illustration

Flight

Topo Map: Gull-like Flight
  • Flight Pattern: Purposeful strong flaps followed by long glides., Soars on brisk winds.
  • Wingspan Range: 97-99 cm (38-39 in)
  • Wing Shape: Pointed-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Rounded Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Dark Brown
  • Under Tail: Dark Brown
  • Leg Color: Dark Gray
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Family Shearwater (Procellariidae)_blue
Species Puffinus tenuirostris
Length16 - 17 Inches
Wingspan38.5 Inches

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
Gull-like HeadX
Gull-like BodyX
Gull-like FlightX
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

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.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX