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The fluttering shearwater is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and migrates to Australia and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores. It has been known as Forster's shearwater in the past.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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This is a medium to small-sized shearwater with a dark-brown-and-white body. The upper parts, including neck, wings and tail, are uniformly dark brown. The face and neck have a grey-brown colour gradually fading into white below the eye. The under body, from chin to the under-tail, is white except for a dark thigh patch that can be seen in flight. The bottom wing is commonly white while the axillary area is covered in grey-brown fur. Under light conditions, the appearance is different.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Fluttering Shearwater lives
When to see the Fluttering Shearwater
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Mediterranean ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanThe yelkouan shearwaters is 30–35 cm (12–14 in) in length and has a wingspan of 70–84 cm (28–33 in).
Galapagos ShearwaterPuffinus subalarisThe Galápagos shearwater has dark brown upperparts, undertail and underwing flight feathers, the rest of the underparts plumage being white.
Sargasso ShearwaterPuffinus lherminieriThe Sargasso shearwater is on average 30 cm (12 in) in length—about half the size of the great shearwater (Puffinus gravis)—and weigh 170 g.
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