Sooty Shearwater Bird Facts (Ardenna grisea)

Visual Identification

Appearance

The Sooty Shearwater is a medium-sized seabird with dark brown-grey plumage above and lighter grey underparts. Its long, narrow wings and streamlined body are adaptations for efficient gliding over vast ocean distances.

Slight scaling is shown on the upper wings, and a wide white bar is visible on the underside of the wings, which are narrow and pointed.

Both sexes look alike, with a slender, dark bill and black legs and feet, which are dull pink to grey. Juveniles resemble adults but may have slightly paler underwings.

Size

Length

40cm to 51cm

Wingspan

95cm to 110cm

Weight

650g to 1000g

Colours

Males and females have similar plumage

Primary Colour

Brown Grey

Secondary Colour

White

Beak Colour

Grey

Leg Colour

Black

Habitat and Distribution

Habitats

Woodland

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Woodland habitats.

Garden

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Garden habitats.

Wetland

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Wetland habitats.

Coastal

The Sooty Shearwater can be found in Coastal habitats.

Urban

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Urban habitats.

Farmland

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Farmland habitats.

Grassland

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Grassland habitats.

Desert

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Desert habitats.

Tundra

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Tundra habitats.

Rainforest

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Rainforest habitats.

Mountain

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Mountain habitats.

Savanna

The Sooty Shearwater is not typically found in Savanna habitats.

Distribution

Sooty Shearwaters have a vast range, breeding on islands in the Southern Hemisphere and migrating to the North Pacific and North Atlantic. They nest in burrows on coastal cliffs and forested slopes of offshore islands.

During non-breeding seasons, they are found across open oceans worldwide. They can be observed off the coasts of New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and both coasts of North America.

Elevation Range

Sea level to 1,500 meters

Climate zones

Temperate, Subpolar, Polar

Distribution Map

This map gives you a rough idea of where you might spot a Sooty Shearwater. The coloured areas show countries where these birds have been seen.

A few things to keep in mind:

Birds might not be everywhere in the coloured areas, for example, they may be present around the coast of that country
Where birds live can change with seasons and available food
This map is quite simple - it doesn't show exact locations

We're working on making our maps even better! Soon, we hope to show you:

More detailed maps for bigger countries, including state and region
How birds move around during different seasons

Resident

Breeding

Non-breeding

Passage

Vagrant

Distribution by Region

Species that can be found in the area throughout the year

Israel Panama Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Species that are present in the area during their breeding season

Australia Chile Falkland Islands New Zealand

Species that are present in the area outside their breeding season

Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Benin Bouvet Island Brazil British Virgin Islands Cameroon Canada Colombia Costa Rica Côte D'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Dominica Ecuador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Faroe Islands French Guiana Gabon Gambia Germany Ghana Greenland Guadeloupe Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Heard Island and McDonald Islands Iceland Japan Kiribati Madagascar Mexico Micronesia Morocco Mozambique Namibia Netherlands New Caledonia Peru Russia Senegal Sierra Leone Solomon Islands South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Suriname The Bahamas Togo Tonga Turks and Caicos United States of America Uruguay Venezuela Western Sahara

Species that pass through the area during migration

Bermuda Denmark Ecuador Fiji France Ireland Jordan Portugal Spain The United Kingdom

Species that appear infrequently (rare) and unpredictably outside their normal range

Algeria Barbados Belgium Cape Verde China Cuba Egypt Finland Gibraltar Guatemala Italy Jamaica Latvia Lebanon Liberia Malta Martinique Mauritania Nigeria Norway Oman Poland Puerto Rico Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Lucia Sao Tome and Principe Spain Sri Lanka Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Taiwan Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia United Arab Emirates US Virgin Islands

Behaviour and Ecology

Bird Attributes

This feature is in beta. We'd love your feedback to improve it!

Share your thoughts

Bird Attributes Explained

Our bird attributes system rates various aspects of a bird's capabilities on a scale of 0-100, based on data from field observations, scientific studies, and expert knowledge.

Attribute Categories:

Agility: Manoeuvrability, speed, and grace in flight or movement.
Strength: Physical power, often correlating with size and hunting abilities.
Adaptability: Ability to thrive in various environments or changing conditions.
Aggressiveness: Territorial behaviour and assertiveness, particularly during breeding seasons.
Endurance: Stamina, often seen in migration patterns or foraging behaviours.

Understanding the Ratings:

0-20: Very Low
21-40: Low
41-60: Average
61-80: High
81-100: Very High

Remember, these attributes are relative to other bird species and don't necessarily indicate superiority.

Hover over the icon next to each attribute for more information.

Tap the icon next to each attribute for more information.

Agility 95

Agility

Reflects the bird's manoeuvrability, speed, and grace in flight or movement.

Sooty Shearwaters display remarkable agility, with their streamlined bodies and long, narrow wings perfectly adapted for efficient gliding and manoeuvring over vast ocean distances. Their ability to dive to depths of over 60 metres and 'fly' underwater further demonstrates their exceptional agility in both air and water.

Strength 75

Strength

Indicates the bird's physical power, often correlating with size and hunting abilities.

While not the strongest seabirds, Sooty Shearwaters possess considerable strength to endure long-distance migrations, dive to significant depths, and withstand harsh oceanic conditions. Their ability to carry out annual migrations of up to 64,000 km indicates a robust physical constitution.

Adaptability 90

Adaptability

Represents the bird's ability to thrive in various environments or changing conditions.

These birds show high adaptability, thriving in various marine environments from polar to temperate zones. Their capacity to navigate vast oceans, exploit different food sources (including scavenging behind fishing vessels), and breed on diverse island habitats demonstrates their exceptional adaptability.

Aggressiveness 40

Aggressiveness

Measures the bird's territorial behaviour and assertiveness, particularly during breeding seasons.

Sooty Shearwaters are not particularly aggressive birds. They tend to form large, peaceful flocks at sea. However, they may display some aggression when defending nesting burrows or competing for food, which accounts for this moderate score.

Endurance 100

Endurance

Reflects the bird's stamina, often seen in migration patterns or foraging behaviours.

The endurance of Sooty Shearwaters is truly exceptional. Their annual migration of up to 64,000 km (around 39,700 miles) is one of the longest recorded for any bird species. Combined with their ability to spend most of their lives at sea, diving regularly for food, and returning to breeding colonies year after year, their endurance is remarkable.

Diet

Sooty Shearwaters primarily feed on small fish, squid, and crustaceans.

They hunt by diving into the water, using their wings to 'fly' underwater and catch prey at depths of up to 68 meters. They also scavenge behind fishing vessels, taking advantage of discarded fish.

Behaviour

Sooty Shearwaters are renowned for their incredible long-distance migrations, covering up to 64,000 km (around 39,700 miles) annually. They are highly pelagic, spending most of their lives at sea and coming to land only to breed.

These birds are often seen in large flocks, skimming low over the waves in a distinctive, effortless flight pattern.

Vocalisation

At breeding colonies, Sooty Shearwaters produce a variety of vocalisations. Their most distinctive call is a cat-like wailing 'coooo-roo-oo' often heard at night, as well as from within their underground nesting burrows during incubation or nest defence.

They also make grunting and croaking sounds when interacting on the ground. At sea, they are generally silent.

Nesting & Breeding

Sooty Shearwaters form long-term pair bonds and return to the same breeding colonies each year. The breeding season begins in October in the Southern Hemisphere. Breeding grounds regularly host more than 2.5 million pairs each year, and colonies are established up to 1,500 m (5,000 ft) above sea level.

They nest in burrows dug into soil, reaching a length of up to 3 m, on coastal slopes or under vegetation. Females lay a single white egg, which both parents incubate for about 53 days.

Chicks fledge after 86-109 days, usually in April or May. Parents alternate between incubation shifts (between 4 and 9 days) and long foraging trips to sustain themselves and their chick.

Conservation and Status

Global Conservation Status

Near Threatened ^[1]

Sooty Shearwaters face threats from climate change, ocean pollution, and accidental bycatch in fishing gear.

Conservation efforts focus on protecting breeding sites, reducing plastic pollution in oceans, and implementing seabird-friendly fishing practices to minimise bycatch incidents.

Population Data

Global Population Estimate

19,000,000 - 23,600,000 mature individuals ^[2]

Global Population Trend

^[3]

Trend data may be uncertain or fluctuating

Additional Information

Quick Facts

Other names:

Tītī, Muttonbird

Family:

Procellariidae

Average Lifespan

18 to 20 years

Max Lifespan

34 years ^[4]

Predators

Main predators include large gulls, skuas, and introduced mammals such as rats, cats, and stoats at breeding colonies.

Did You Know?

Sooty Shearwaters can dive to depths of over 60 meters to catch prey.
They are known as 'muttonbirds' in New Zealand due to their historical use as a food source.
Their annual migration of 64,000 km (around 39,700 miles) is one of the longest recorded for any bird species.

References

1
website: BirdLife International. 2019. Ardenna grisea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22698209A154440143.
View source
2 3
report: Butcher and Niven 2007, Clucas et al. 2008, Scott et al. 2008
4
journalArticle, 2008: Buttemer et al., Fowl play and the price of petrel: long-living Procellariiformes have peroxidation-resistant membrane composition compared with short-living Galliformes, Biol Lett, 4:351-354
View source