Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris)

Other Scientific Names
Ardenna tenuirostris [Christidis and Boles (2008)]

Other Names (World)
Short-tailed Shearwater, Muttonbird, Tasmanian Muttonbird, Bonaparte Shearwater, Slender-billed Shearwater, Sealbird, Short-tailed Petrel

Family
Procellariidae (Petrels, Shearwaters)

Size
40 - 45 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Temminck, 1835)

Derivation
Puff'-in-us - N.L., puffin: ten-u-i-ros'-tris - L., tenuis, slender; L., rostrum, bill

Abundance (Guide)
A

Common breeding visitor to central and pelagic waters of southern and eastern Australia.

Habitat
Marine, pelagic, mainly over continental shelf waters, both inshore and offshore during the breeding season.

Range (Guide)

Antarctica (NB), Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Guam (NB), India, Japan, Marshall Islands (NB), Mexico, Micronesia [Federated States of] (NB), New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands (NB), Russia (Asian), Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, USA (NB).

Vagrant to Mauritius, Thailand.

Image of Range of Short-tailed Shearwater

Bass Strait, the coasts of Tasmania, southern and south-eastern Australia.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 23,000,000 (2010).

Status LC
Secure.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Planktonic crustaceans, molluscs, fish, carrion.

Voice
Generally silent at sea.

Listen to call of Short-tailed Shearwater

(27Kb) © ? (1)

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (8)...)

Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris) [XC301428]
by Peter Boesman from Neck Game Reserve, Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia (song)

Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris) [XC177452]
by Drew Davison from Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
Late September - early May.

Nest
In a hollow at the end of a burrow, in soft soil. In colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
1; white; long-oval; about 71 x 47 mm. Incubation: about 53 days; by both sexes.

Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 94 days.

Subspecies
No subspecies.

Similar Species
Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea) which is slightly larger, with a longer bill, and more extensive white on the underwings.

Compare Images

References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

Files:

JPG files for Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris) - 10 files

MP3 files for Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris) - 1 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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