From Opus

This article is incomplete. This article is missing one or more sections. You can help the BirdForum Opus by expanding it.

Alternative names: Levantine Shearwater; Mediterranean Shearwater

Puffinus yelkouan

Photo by Momo
Photo taken near Samothraki, Greece

[edit] Identification

30-38cm. Very dark brown upperparts and white undersides, underwings dark on tips, tailing edge and diagonal band across secondary coverts, brown on flanks, axillaries, undertail and underwing coverts, large pink feet.

[edit] Distribution

Central Mediterranean. Breeds in Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia, Turkey and Algeria.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Habitat

Islands and coastal cliffs.

[edit] Behaviour

They nest in burrows which are only visited at night to avoid predation by large gulls.

The diet includes fish and molluscs. It follows fishing ships when offal is being thrown.

[edit] External Links