Short-tailed Shearwater — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideShort-tailed Shearwater

These are among the larger species of shearwater, which have been moved to a separate genus, Ardenna based on a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (Penhallurick & Wink, 2004).

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⚠️Not listed

🌿Endemic to Australia

🍃Indigenous: Sooty Shearwater, Bonaparte Shearwater, Mutton-Bird, Tasmanian Mutton-Bird, Slender-Billed Shearwater, Short-Tailed Petrel, Slender-Billed Petrel, Seal-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 October to November.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by Peter Boesman

Range map

Occurrence window

200approx hotspots

31388approx 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

Has narrow, crooked wings and flies with quick, snappy wingbeats. Variable underwing pattern, usually rather dark with a less distinct silvery flash than Sooty Shearwater, but difficult to judge depending on lighting. Common in the Pacific Ocean, especially around Australia and New Zealand and up to the Bering Sea. Unknown from South America. Extremely similar to Sooty Shearwater. Short-tailed is lighter and has more crooked wings; also look for slightly shorter bill and more rounded head.