ID Keys: White underside, brownish upperparts and head, pink bill
with dark tip, pink feet
The
Pink-footed Shearwater the largest of the shearwaters found off the Pacific
Coast of North America. They are long-distance migrants, with birds
nesting in the Southern Hemisphere and migrating to the Northern Hemisphere
after the breeding season. They have an extremely limited breeding
range, only being found as nesting birds on three islands off the coast of
Chile. However, they are regularly found off the west coast of North
America during the Northern Hemisphere summer, and may be found as far north
as off the coast of Alaska.
Habitat
Nests on a handful of islands off the coast of Chile, islands with soil suitable for digging nesting burrows. Outside of the breeding season, they are usually found offshore, not usually visible from land, but over the continental shelf.
Diet
Feeds mostly on fish, squid, and small crustaceans.
Behavior
Forages by plunge diving from the air or diving while swimming on the ocean's surface, swimming underwater in pursuit of prey.
Nesting
The nest of a Pink-footed Shearwater is a burrow, sometimes with a few pebbles or sticks as a lining in the nesting chamber. The female lays a single egg, and both parents help to incubate it. Upon hatching, both parents help raise the young by feeding it regurgitated fish and other prey.
Song
Usually silent, but will give a descending whinnying call when feeding in groups.
Migration
Pink-footed Shearwaters only nest in a handful of locations off the coast of Chile. Outside of the breeding season, they disperse widely in the Pacific, and can be found regularly off the west coast of North America during the northern Hemisphere summer.
Interactive eBird Map
Click here to access an interactive eBird map of Pink-footed Shearwater sightings
Similar Species
In range, most likely to be confused with the Buller's Shearwater . These 2 species are the only large shearwaters off the Pacific Coast that have white underparts and darker upperparts. As noted in the Buller's Shearwater account, one distinguishing characteristic between the two species is the "neatness" of the demarcation between light and dark parts of the body, with the Pink-footed Shearwater having a less clean dividing line.
Conservation Status
Pink-footed Shearwaters only nest in three locations in the world. Given the extremely small breeding range and risk from disturbance events, the IUCN has listed the Pink-footed Shearwater as a "Vulnerable" species.
Photo Information
Photo taken by Logan Kahle - August 11th, 2012 - Off the coast of San Mateo County, California - Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license .
