Galapagos Shearwater vs Mediterranean Shearwater

Galapagos Shearwater

Puffinus subalaris

Medium168 gMarine

The Galápagos shearwater has dark brown upperparts, undertail and underwing flight feathers, the rest of the underparts plumage being white. It sometimes has a dark collar. Both sexes are alike, as are the young after fledging. It is a slender-bodied shearwater, about 29–31 cm long, with a wingspan of around 63 cm and weighs 123-225 g. The species closely resembles the tropical shearwater, although the latter is typically blacker and has a longer tail.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez · CC BY 4.0

Mediterranean Shearwater

Puffinus yelkouan

Large497 gMarine

The yelkouan shearwaters is 30–35 cm (12–14 in) in length and has a wingspan of 70–84 cm (28–33 in). It has the typically "shearing" flight of the genus, dipping from side to side on stiff wings with few wingbeats, the wingtips almost touching the water. This bird looks like a flying cross, with its wing held at right angles to the body, and it changes from very dark brown to white as the dark upperparts and paler undersides are alternately exposed as it travels low over the sea.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Galapagos Shearwater and Mediterranean Shearwater.