The streaked shearwater nests in burrows .
Not listed
Indigenous: White-Fronted Shearwater, White-Faced Shearwater
At a glance
FamilyShearwaters and Petrels
SizeLarge
RarityUncommon
HabitatIt prefers forested hills.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from January to March.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by xuky
Range map
Range map
241visible hotspots
1342visible records
3states
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
White underparts, brown upperparts, and a mottled brownish-white head distinctive. Languid, gull-like flight except in high winds, when flight more wheeling, in large arcs. Occasionally seen from shorelines, especially during storms.
Behavior
Large, fairly common shearwater of the western Pacific. Forages in both shelf and pelagic waters, often forming large flocks that prey on small fish pursued by larger predatory fish.
Gallery
Regional timing
Western Australia
New South Wales
Queensland
Northern Territory
Victoria
Commonly confused with
Buller's ShearwaterArdenna bulleriFood is caught mainly at a head's length below the surface at most, the bird either picking it up with the bill only, often out of flight, or briefly inserting the entire head, usually while swimming.→Hutton's ShearwaterPuffinus huttoniSlightly larger and darker than the Fluttering Shearwater, with less white showing on the chin and throat.→Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaNarrow wings with quick, deep wingbeats. Can be in massive flocks. Extremely similar to Short-tailed Shearwater, but Sooty is heavier and has straighter wings; also look for slightly longer bill and less rounded head. Brown plumage is reminiscent of Flesh-footed Shearwater, but Sooty is narrower-winged and has a smaller, all-dark bill.→