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A small dark-brown shearwater with a white belly and a dusky patch under its wings along with dark markings on the inner wing visible during flight.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeSmall
RarityCommon
HabitatCoastlines, harbours, offshore waters, estuaries, headlands, beaches, and large inland water when conditions suit.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from June to August.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by David Boyle
Range map
Range map
682visible hotspots
9884visible records
3states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
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
A brown cap expands over the eye and runs down the back of the neck, blurring into the white chin and breast. Name is derived from distinctive low and fast “fluttering” flight with rapid bursts of wingbeats. Easily confused with Hutton’s Shearwater where habitats overlap on the Cook Strait. Hutton’s is slightly larger with little white showing on the chin and more extensive gray armpit smudging. Little Shearwater also occurs in northern waters but is smaller, with white extending through or above the eye.
Behavior
A small dark-brown shearwater with a white belly and a dusky patch under its wings along with dark markings on the inner wing visible during flight. Often seen feeding in flocks off the northern and eastern North Island and in the Cook Strait region.
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