Flesh-footed Shearwater — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideFlesh-footed Shearwater

Entirely the color of dark chocolate with a dark-tipped pink bill.

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⚠️VIC: Vulnerable; WA: Rare

🍃Indigenous: Fleshy-Footed Petrel, Flesh-Footed Petrel, Big Mutton-Bird, Fleshy-Footed Shearwater, Mutton-Bird

At a glance

FamilyShearwaters and Petrels

SizeSmall

RarityCommon

HabitatPelagic; mostly offshore and over open ocean, occasionally seen from coastal headlands during passage.

Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from January to May.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by Barry Edmonston

Range map

Occurrence window

154approx hotspots

32690approx records

4states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Shorter-tailed and stockier than dark-morph Wedge-tailed Shearwater (which usually has dark bill). Also compare with dark Procellaria petrels such as Parkinson’s; note overall shape and differences in bill shape and pattern. Namesake foot color is difficult to see in normal field conditions. Fairly common over much of Pacific and Indian oceans; uncommon to rare off west coast of North America. Breeds on islands off the coast of southern Australia and northern New Zealand. Not likely to be seen from land; stays further offshore.