Bird guideFlesh-footed Shearwater

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

⚠️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
0:000:00
Recorded by Barry Edmonston

Range map

Range map

698visible hotspots
7300visible records
2states
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

Behavior

Fairly large; similar in size and shape to Pink-footed Shearwater. Can be seen alone or with feeding congregations of other shearwaters.

Regional timing

Western Australia
Peak: March to April189 records
New South Wales
Peak: January to May4,376 records
South Australia
Peak: February to March159 records
Queensland
Peak: January64 records
Victoria
Peak: February to April653 records
Tasmania
Peak: February7 records
Northern Territory
Peak: March6 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: February2 records
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