Includes Galapagos Shearwater; Bannerman's Shearwater
Location: Atlantic Ocean, near Hydrographer Canyon, south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA
- Puffinus lherminieri
Identification
30 cm
- Blackish-brown upperparts, undersides of the tail and flight feathers, the rest of the underparts, cheeks and throat are white.
Similar Species
Manx Shearwater is slightly larger with longer more-pointed wings, and white undertail coverts.
Cory's Shearwater is much larger with much lighter brown body and wings, heavy yellow bill and white tail band.
Great Shearwater is much larger with lighter body, smudgy brown belly, neat cap, narrow pointed wings. and white tail band.
Distribution
Mostly tropical, with the Caribbean, eastern Pacific, and Indian Ocean as main breeding grounds. All breeding grounds are islands. Subspecies subalaris breeds in the Galapagos Islands, and bannermani breeds off Japan.
Taxonomy
Heinroth's Shearwater and Persian Shearwater have been split from Audubon's Shearwater.
Subspecies
Audubon's Shearwater currently has a total of 9 subspecies. Two of these are treated in detail below, the rest are:
- lherminieri: Breeds Bahamas and West Indies; formerly Bermuda
- loyemilleri: Islets in south-western Caribbean
- dichrous: Islands throughout central Pacific (Samoa to Marquesas Islands)
- gunax: Breeds Banks Group (Vanuatu)
- bailloni: Mascarene Islands
- nicolae: North-western Indian Ocean (Aldabra to Seychelles and Maldives)
- temptator: Mohéli Island (Comoro Islands)
- (colstoni recognized by some authorities).
Status of Galapagos Shearwater subalaris
According to Boegh (2007), the Galapagos Shearwater (P. l. subalaris) is "now known to differ strikingly both in DNA (with high support), physiology and voice from the members of the Audubon's/Little complex. Indeed, they're not even the closest relatives of the Galapagos Shearwater, which actually is closer to the Christmas Shearwater." SACC (2008) treats subalaris as a full species, citing the genetic data of Austin et al (2004) and long-ago noted morphological distinctiveness by Murphy (1927). However, Clements 6th edition (2007) and Howard & Moore (2003) retain it as a subspecies of lherminieri, and the Opus follows in this consensus.
Status of Bannerman's Shearwater bannermani
Austin et al (2004) treat bannermani as a full species based on molecular phylogeny, and are followed by Onley & Scofield (2007). Sibley & Monroe (1996) also grant it species status. However, Clements 6th edition (2007) and Howard & Moore (2003) retain it as a subspecies of lherminieri, and the Opus follows in this consensus.
Status of Tropical Shearwater
Austin and others in 2004 in a paper proposing a major rearrangement of taxonomy of smaller shearwaters, proposed that the taxons from tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans should be separated out as Tropical Shearwater, Puffinus bailloni. This taxon would include subspecies bailloni, dichrous (current subspecies nicolae, colstoni, and polynesia would disappear into this one), temptator and persicus (this latter form is currently considered a full species, Persian Shearwater by Opus based on a majority of the major checklists).
Mascarene Shearwater, Puffinus atrodorsalis
Invalid taxon. Believed to have been a juvenile P. l. bailloni (Austin et al., 2004).
Other notes
Heinroth's Shearwater has in the past been included as a part of Audubon's Shearwater.
If the Austin et al. 2004 revisions are followed, then there would be a transfer of two subspecies from Little Shearwater to here: subspecies baroli and boydi. Some suthorities have expected that baroli and boydi would become a full species Macaronesian Shearwater.
Habitat
Tropical waters.
Behaviour
Breeding
It is a colonial breeder, nesting in small burrows and crevices in rocks. One egg is laid and incubated by both parents for 50; the young fledge 70 days later.
Diet
The diet includes small fish, squid and crustaceans.
References
- 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.
- Wikipedia
- Paper by Austin et al. (2004) describing phylogeny of small shearwaters
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Audubon's Shearwater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Audubon%27s_Shearwater
External Links
Use this link to search for Galapagos Shearwater
