From Opus

Alternative name: Wilson's Shearwater

Oceanites oceanicus

Photo by Joe Cockram.
Photo taken: Atlantic Ocean, not too far from Scilly.

[edit] Identification

Length 7.25" (18 cm), wingspan 16-18" (41-46 cm). Dark blackish brown except for bold U-shaped white rump patch that extends onto flanks, pale carpal bars and underwings. Square tail may appear notched. Long legs extend beyond tail in flight. Relatively short wings. Fluttery, swallow-like flight. Feeding behavior of tapping surface of water with toes while hovering is distinctive.

[edit] Distribution

It breeds on the Antarctic coastlines and nearby islands such as the South Shetland Islands as well as in southern Chile. Common migrant in the North Atlantic Ocean.

[edit] Taxonomy

Two subspecies are recognized:

• oceanicus is a mainly temperate species mostly limited to the southern hemisphere
• exasperatus is a high arctic breeder that is highly migratory, routinely found in the northern hemisphere in southern winter

[edit] Habitat

Open sea.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes planktonic food items picked from the ocean surface.

It is nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID
• View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages