Streaked Shearwater

Calonectris leucomelas

Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels · Procellariiformes · Uncommon

The Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) is a uncommon petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrel found in 24 countries, weighing about 580 g. The streaked shearwater is a species of seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae.

Near ThreatenedUncommonEats invertebratesmarinecavity nest580 g

About the Streaked Shearwater

The streaked shearwater is a species of seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae. It is native to the Western Pacific and ranges from Japan to Australia.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

This shearwater has broad wings with a brown upperside and white underwings. The head and neck are flecked white to almost complete white. The face and underparts are all white. The bill is grey to pink with a dark tip while the feet are pinkish-grey. Streaked shearwaters have a body length (from tip of bill to end of tail feathers) of 45 to 52 centimetres (18 to 20 in) and a wingspan between 103 and 113 centimetres (41 and 44 in).

Where it lives

Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Thailand, Israel, New Zealand, Réunion, Oman, Singapore.

When to see it

Best months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Streaked Shearwater?
This shearwater has broad wings with a brown upperside and white underwings. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Streaked Shearwater?
The Streaked Shearwater is a large sized bird weighing about 580 g.
Where can you see a Streaked Shearwater?
The Streaked Shearwater occurs in 24 countries, including Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea.
What birds look similar to a Streaked Shearwater?
The Streaked Shearwater is most easily confused with the Cape Verde Shearwater and the Scopoli's Shearwater.
Is the Streaked Shearwater endangered?
The Streaked Shearwater is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Streaked Shearwater for real

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