Little Shearwater
Puffinus assimilis
The Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) is a rare petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrel found in 11 countries, weighing about 226 g. The little shearwater is a small shearwater in the petrel family Procellariidae.
About the Little Shearwater
The little shearwater is a small shearwater in the petrel family Procellariidae. Despite the generic name, it is unrelated to the puffins, which are auks, the only similarity being that they are both burrow-nesting seabirds.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This shearwater has the typically "shearing" flight of the genus, dipping from side to side on stiff wings with few beats, the wingtips almost touching the water, though in light winds it has a more flapping flight than that of its larger relatives. In flight it looks cross-shaped, with its wings held at right angles to the body, its colouration changing from black to white as the black upperparts and white underparts are alternately exposed as it travels low over the sea. At 25–30 cm (9.8–11.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in South Africa, France, Argentina, Canada, Spain, French Guiana.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Little Shearwater?
- This shearwater has the typically "shearing" flight of the genus, dipping from side to side on stiff wings with few beats, the wingtips almost touching the water, though in light winds it has a more flapping flight than that of its larger relatives. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Little Shearwater?
- The Little Shearwater is a medium sized bird weighing about 226 g.
- Where can you see a Little Shearwater?
- The Little Shearwater occurs in 11 countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Chile and the Falkland Islands.
- What birds look similar to a Little Shearwater?
- The Little Shearwater is most easily confused with the Persian Shearwater, the Barolo Shearwater and the Tropical Shearwater.
- Is the Little Shearwater endangered?
- The Little Shearwater is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Little Shearwater for real
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