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Black-vented Shearwater - BirdForum Opus

Puffinus opisthomelas
Photo by Glen Tepke
Santa Barbara Channel, California, USA, September 2007

Identification

  • Brown-black upperparts
  • Dirty white underparts, but black on undertail coverts
  • Brown mottling on sides of breast and flanks
  • Ill-defined dusky collar (may continue across the chest)
  • Dark cap and tail

Similar Species

Townsend's Shearwater, Newell's Shearwater, and Manx Shearwater all are more constrasty with cleaner underside

Distribution

Islands off west coast of Baja California. Disperses to adjacent waters stretching from Chiapas Mexico to California (USA).

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Open sea.

Behaviour

The diet includes fish, crustaceans, and squid.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. What Bird
  3. BirdLife International

Recommended Citation

External Links

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