/
Small black-and-white shearwater that flies with snappy wingbeats.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeMedium
RarityRare
HabitatCoastlines, harbours, offshore waters, estuaries, headlands, beaches, and large inland water when conditions suit.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from February.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Roland Arnison
Range map
Range map
4visible hotspots
13visible records
2states
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
Pay attention to its face pattern: typically quite dark and smudgy, with white curling up behind the cheek. Underwing is mostly white, sometimes with dark markings. Flies low to the water with quick wingbeats, almost recalling an alcid; occasionally arcs up high in strong wind. Prefers cooler ocean waters in the North and South Atlantic; rarely seen from land. Rare but seemingly increasing in the Pacific. In Caribbean and western Atlantic, most similar to Sargasso Shearwater but shorter-tailed and darker-faced, with white under the tail.
Behavior
Small black-and-white shearwater that flies with snappy wingbeats. Found singly or in small flocks, sometimes with other shearwaters.
Gallery