Sargasso Shearwater
NameSargasso Shearwater
Common NameSargasso Shearwater
Scientific NamePuffinus lherminieri
FamilyProcellariidae
Wingspan (cm)68
Length (cm)30
Weight (g)200
Plumage DetailsDark sooty-brown to black upperparts, including the crown and nape, contrasting sharply with pure white underparts. The underwing is dark, often with a narrow white stripe along the center. The bill is dark and slender.
Vocalization / CallVocalizations are typically heard at night at breeding colonies, consisting of various cackling, cooing, and wheezing calls, often described as a series of rapid 'ki-ki-ki-kerr' or 'ka-ka-ka-kow' notes.
Primary Dietpiscivore
Primary Habitatscoastal
Conservation Statusleast-concern
Geographic RangeFound in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. The 'Sargasso Shearwater' specifically refers to populations in the western North Atlantic, including breeding colonies in the Caribbean and Bermuda.
Identifying FeaturesSmall size for a shearwater, Dark upperparts contrasting with white underparts, Dark underwing linings, Rapid, stiff-winged flight close to the water surface
Description
A small, dark-backed shearwater with contrasting white underparts, typically seen gliding low over the ocean surface. It is a pelagic seabird, spending most of its life at sea, only coming to land to breed in burrows on remote islands.
