Page 407 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

PETRELS AND SHEARWATERS
Family Procellariidae Species Puffinus gravis Family Procellariidae Species Puffinus assimilis
Great Shearwater Little Shearwater
Breeding in the southern oceans The Little Shearwater is like a small, slightly dumpy
and migrating north in the Manx Shearwater (see p.67), often with a paler grey
northern summer and autumn, inner wing/black outer wing contrast and with more
the Great Shearwater is a master brown extensive white on its face quite easy to see at
of its challenging marine back moderate range. It must nevertheless be watched with
environment. It banks steeply dark care in order to prove its identity, especially outside its
and often to a great height, brown normal range. It flies with rather fast wingbeats and
gliding at speed with cap few, short glides.
few flaps. Its dark OCCURRENCE Breeds in Azores, Madeira, and
brown cap looks Canaries;rare off NW Europe,in summer and autumn.
black at a distance, VOICE Rhythmic laughing notes at colony at night.
and the brown back, narrow narrow
white
white collar, white over the tail, collar dark upperparts extensive white
and dark patches under the wing on face
all aid identification.
OCCURRENCE Rare to
moderately common well out at
sea off W Europe, from August
to October.
VOICE Silent.

Length 43–51cm (17–20in) Wingspan 1.05–1.22m (3 1 ⁄2 –4ft) Length 25–30cm (10–12in) Wingspan 58–67cm (23–26in)

Family Procellariidae Species Puffinus yelkouan Family Procellariidae Species Puffinus griseus
Mediterranean Shearwater Sooty Shearwater
Mediterranean “Manx” shearwaters are now separated One of the southern ocean seabirds that migrates
as a full species or even split into two species. East north in the European summer, the Sooty Shearwater
Mediterranean birds (Yelkouan) are like small, more is regularly seen off some headlands and ferry routes
flappy Manx Shearwaters with feet projecting slightly in West European seas. It is slightly pot-bellied, with
beyond the tail, while the western ones (Balearic) are long, narrow, angular wings, and appears all dark
browner both above and below, but paler and smaller except for a variably pale underwing panel that
than Sooty Shearwaters.These birds may be seen on typically looks like a soft, silvery white central patch.
or low over the sea off Mediterranean shores in summer. The Sooty Shearwater is quite noticeably larger than
OCCURRENCE Breeds in coast and islands in a Manx Shearwater (see p.67) when they are seen
Mediterranean; a few north to North Sea. together, and can resemble a dark skua at times.
VOICE OCCURRENCE Biscay, Irish and British coasts, from
Strangled, August to October.
brownish
yodelling above VOICE Silent.
notes over
colonies at all-dark appearance
night.

Length 34–39cm (13 1 ⁄2 –15 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 78–90cm (31–35in) Length 40–50cm (16–20in) Wingspan 0.95–1.1m (3–3 1 ⁄2ft)
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