Flesh-footed Shearwater

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

Codes: Common Name: FFSH Scientific Name: PUFCAR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174548

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Overview

Flesh-footed Shearwater: Large, bulky shearwater with dark brown body, darker head and tail. Bill is large and pink with a dark tip. Wings are dark with brown-edged coverts that become paler with wear. Legs and feet are pale pink. Slow flight, alternates stiff-winged flapping and gliding near water.

Range and Habitat

Flesh-footed Shearwater: Breeds on islands off the coast of western Australia, on Lord Howe Island east of Australia, and in New Zealand. Summer visitor to the north Pacific and south to British Columbia; rarely as far south as California. Pelagic, comes ashore only to breed.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"gug-gug-gug","ku-koo-ah"

Interesting Facts

In the non-breeding season, the Flesh-footed Shearwater inhabits the open ocean. It prefers to keep to warm waters, not commonly venturing as far north as many other shearwater species.

They are closely related to Pink-footed Shearwaters, and some authorities consider them to be the same species.

With the spread of introduced predators these birds survive best on islands without mammalian predators.

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

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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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.

Flesh-footed Shearwater

● Song: "gug-gug-gug","ku-koo-ah"

● Foraging & Feeding: Flesh-footed Shearwater: Feeds on fish and squid; forages by plunge diving or skimming the water surface. Also takes offal from behind fishing boats.

● Breeding & nesting: Flesh-footed Shearwater: One white egg is laid in a large burrow lined with grass roots, feathers, and rush stems. Eggs are incubated for 53 days by both parents.

● Similar species: Flesh-footed Shearwater: Black Petrel is larger, with larger head, thicker neck, and longer, broader wings. Sooty and Short-tailed shearwaters have dark bills and feet, paler underwings, and faster wing beats.

Flight Pattern

Slow flight with stiff-winged flapping and gliding near water surface.

Flesh-footed Shearwater Body Ilustration

● Range & Habitat: Flesh-footed Shearwater: Breeds on islands off the coast of western Australia, on Lord Howe Island east of Australia, and in New Zealand. Summer visitor to the north Pacific and south to British Columbia; rarely as far south as California. Pelagic, comes ashore only to breed.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight20.8 Ounces

Gull-like Body

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