Christmas Shearwater
Puffinus nativitatis
The Christmas Shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) is a rare petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrel found in 14 countries, weighing about 356 g. The Christmas shearwater or ʻaoʻū is a medium-sized shearwater of the tropical Central Pacific.
About the Christmas Shearwater
The Christmas shearwater or ʻaoʻū is a medium-sized shearwater of the tropical Central Pacific. It is a poorly known species due to its remote nesting habits, and it has not been extensively studied at sea either.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Christmas shearwater is a slender-bodied shearwater, about 36 cm long, with a wingspan of around 75 cm, and weighs around 350 g. It has dark plumage all over, generally blackish-grey with a rusty-brown tinge, slightly paler on the underside of the bird, and with some small edging of white under the chin and pale fringes to the upperwing coverts. It has brown-grey feet and a dark bill and eyes. Both sexes are alike, as are the young after fledging. Nestlings are covered in dark grey down feathers. The species closely resembles the sooty (Puffinus griseus) and short-tailed shearwaters (P.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Mexico, Colombia, Taiwan, Fiji, New Zealand.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in March. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Christmas Shearwater?
- The Christmas shearwater is a slender-bodied shearwater, about 36 cm long, with a wingspan of around 75 cm, and weighs around 350 g. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Christmas Shearwater?
- The Christmas Shearwater is a large sized bird weighing about 356 g.
- Where can you see a Christmas Shearwater?
- The Christmas Shearwater occurs in 14 countries, including Chile, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Costa Rica and the Pitcairn Islands.
- What birds look similar to a Christmas Shearwater?
- The Christmas Shearwater is most easily confused with the Newell's Shearwater, the Boyd's Shearwater and the Bannerman's Shearwater.
- Is the Christmas Shearwater endangered?
- The Christmas Shearwater is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Christmas Shearwater for real
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