Short-tailed shearwater on the wing. Photo by Tony Palliser.

Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus griseus and Puffinus tenuirostris) are closely related species that we often see while surveying the open ocean. Shearwaters are members of the Procellariidae family, known as the "tube-noses". All the birds in this family have a prominent tube on the top of their bill that excretes extra salt from the bird’s body. Shearwaters look similar to northern fulmars, but are much darker and have thinner, more pointed wings and a generally slimmer appearance. The name "shearwater" is a poetic description of their flight over water- they soar with minimum effort across the ocean surface- the strongest winds and angriest waves seem to only improve their flying.

Shearwaters breed only in the southern hemisphere- they come to our waters during their southern wintertime (our northern summer). They fly north in unbelievably huge numbers, often in seemingly endless streams-- Russian observers living on the Bering Sea coast speak of seeing unbroken streams of shearwaters flying past for days at a time. Shearwaters are often flock together with fulmars in island passes and other areas where strong currents cause ocean upwelling and turbulence. The upwelling brings small crustaceans and other plankton to the sea surface where shearwaters can scoop them up for a meal. But unlike fulmars, shearwaters can make shallow dives up to 10 meters below the surface, propelling themselves with wings and feet in pursuit of small forage fish. Shearwaters are also a common scavenger species, gathering in frantic swarms around fishing vessel to gorge on their fish discards.

View photos of Short-tailed Shearwaters on the web.