Pink-footed Shearwater vs Sooty Shearwater

Pink-footed Shearwater

Ardenna creatopus

Large744 gMarine

Male pink-footed shearwaters on average are found to be larger than females. However, morphological features such as bill size, tail length, head length, and average body size are found to be linked not only to sex, but to breeding locality. These difference may represent adaptations to environmental conditions such as food availability, prey type/mobility and wind speed. In procellariiformes, larger wing area is generally associated with feeding on highly mobile prey, lower wind speeds, and less abundant more dispersed food sources.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: dfaulder · CC BY 2.0

Sooty Shearwater

Ardenna grisea

Large787 gMarine

Sooty shearwaters are 40–51 cm (16–20 in) in length with a 94–110 cm (37–43 in) wingspan. It has the typical "shearing" flight of the genus, dipping from side to side on stiff wings with few wing beats, the wingtips almost touching the water. Its flight is powerful and direct, with wings held stiff and straight, giving the impression of a very small albatross. This shearwater is identifiable by its dark plumage, which is responsible for its name.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Pink-footed Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater.