From Opus

Includes Macaronesian Shearwater

Puffinus assimilis

[edit] Identification

25-30cm

• Very dark upperparts
• Pale area on upperside of secondaries, more so on worn birds
• White underparts
• Underwing very white with thinner black trailing edge than similar species
• Wings shorter and rounder than similar species; does not reach tip of tail on resting bird
• Body relatively longer than similar species
• White cheeks extend up to sides of crown encircling dark eye (this is true for northern Atlantic forms and forms from Australia, but for example not for elegans that have black sides of head)
• Rounded head
• Dark peak reaching slightly down into the white underside behind head
• Slim bill shorter than similar species
• Legs and feet pale blue
• In flight on a calm day may remind of a smaller Alcid.

[edit] Similar Species

Manx Shearwater and Audubon's Shearwater.

[edit] Distribution

Oceanic wanderers with breeding centres in the Southern Oceans and the Eastern Atlantic

[edit] Taxonomy

This species is hotly tipped for splitting into at least 2 species as the mid Atlantic forms have been found to be closer to Audubon's Shearwater. It is likely the southern forms will retain the name Little Shearwater whilst baroli and boydi will become Macaronesian Shearwater (Austin 1996, Heidrich et al. 1998.)

[edit] Subspecies

Clements currently accept 8 subspecies^[1]

• P. a. baroli:

• Azores, Desertas, Salvage and Canary Islands

• P. a. boydi:

• Cape Verde Islands

• P. a. tunneyi:

• Islands off south-west Australia (Abrolhos Islands to Récherche Archaepelago)

• P. a. assimilis:

• Norfolk and Lord Howe islands

• P. a. kermadecensis:

• Kermadec Islands

• P. a. haurakiensis:

• Islets off north-east coast of North Island (New Zealand)

• P. a. elegans:

• Tristan da Cunha, Gough, Chatham and Antipodes islands, but also with sight records around southern South America

• P. a. myrtae:

• Rapa Island (Austral Islands)

Austin and others in 2004 suggested a radical revision of the taxonomy of small shearwaters. If their proposals are followed, Little Shearwater will contain five subspecies: assimilis, tunneyi, kermadecensis, haurakiensis, and elegans. Subspecies baroli and boydi would be transferred to Audubon's Shearwater, while myrtae would be transferred to Newell's Shearwater (currently treated as part of Townsend's Shearwater in Opus). Some authorities have expected that baroli and boydi would become a full species Macaronesian Shearwater.

[edit] Habitat

Breeds on Atlantic islands and coastal cliffs, otherwise pelagic.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Flight

Often holds head up. Quick wingbeats.

[edit] Breeding

Nests are made in burrows, in small colonies.

[edit] Diet

Diet includes fish and molluscs.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Wikipedia
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
4. Beaman, M., S. Madge, K.M. Olsen. 1998. Fuglene i Europa, Nordafrika og Mellemøsten. Copenhagen, Denmark: Gads Forlag, ISBN 87-12-02276-4
5. Pizzey, G. & Knight, F. 1997. Birds of Australia (Collins Field Guide). HarperCollins Publishers, London. ISBN 0-00-220132-1
6. Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
7. Paper by Austin et al. (2004) describing phylogeny of small shearwaters

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID