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Cory's Shearwater
(Calonectris borealis)
German name(s): "Corysturmtaucher", "Gelbschnabelsturmtaucher"
Size: 50-56 cm; wing span 1.18-1.26 m
Weight: 700-800 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Cory's Shearwaters are large shearwaters.
Their underparts are white, except for light-grey shoulder patches.
The upperparts, including the crown and the sides of the head to
below the eyes, are lightly vermiculated brownish-grey, with darker
grey wings. The vermiculation comes from light-grey fringes on the
individual feathers. The flight feathers are very dark grey, without
light fringes.
The underwings are mostly white, except for a black fringe all
round. The leading black edge is narrow, while the trailing edge
is wide. Also the primary flight feathers are dark-grey to black.
The undertail, when fanned, also shows dark fringes.
Seen up close, Cory's Shearwaters have light-grey eye-rings.
The irises are dark, while the bill is yellow, with a grey hooked
tip. In-flight the pink legs and feet are usually not visible.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Cory's
Shearwater at Wikipedia .
Click here for classification information
Following other authorities, we treat Cory's Shearwater as a
species here, rather than race "borealis" of
Scopoli's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea).
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the
ebird.org
website.
The global distribution of Cory's Shearwater is available
HERE
.
Cory's Shearwater is a species of the Atlantic Ocean.
Their overall range extends from the Arctic Ocean to
roughly central Argentina and around Cape Hoorn to
Madagascar. They do not enter the Carribbean or the
Gulf of Mexico.
In Europe, Cory's Shearwaters are present all year round.
They spend the breeding season in their breeding grounds
on rocky islands and rocky coastlines from the South of
Bretagne to northern Norway, and in particular around the
British Isles, the Scottish island chains and Iceland.
Outside the breeding season they live on the open ocean or
in coastal waters, anywhere from the Northern Ocean to
the Atlantic (but usually NOT the North Sea). They also
enter the western Mediterranean, as far as about southern
France and the Balearic islands.
During the breeding season Cory's Shearwaters have a strong
preference for rocky islands, cliffs and coastlines.
During the rest of the year they are basically always on
or above the open ocean.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires
reports spotting Cory's Shearwaters 5 NM off Sagres, Algarve,
Portugal, in October 2018 and again in October 2019. They were
also found on the Azores, around Faial Island and Pico Island,
in October 2019.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Near-frontal view of Cory's Shearwater
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Lateral view of four Cory's Shearwaters
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Between Faial Island and Pico Island, Azores, November 2018]
Near-lateral/ventral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight,
wings fully extended
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Between Faial Island and Pico Island, Azores, November 2018]
Near-lateral/ventral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight,
wings angled
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Between Faial Island and Pico Island, Azores, November 2018]
Distant near-lateral/ventral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight;
this photo illustrates how pale the tips of the primaries can
look in direct sunlight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
Lateral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight, wings flat
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Lateral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight, wings up;
here one can see that the white area on the underwing
stops short of the primaries
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Lateral/ventral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Between Faial Island and Pico Island, Azores, November 2018]
Lateral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Between Faial Island and Pico Island, Azores, November 2018]
Lateral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Between Faial Island and Pico Island, Azores, November 2018]
Frontal view of Cory's Shearwater in flight, with a young
Yellow-legged Gull
that may have scavenged its fish
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Near-lateral/ventral view of Cory's Shearwater in flight, with a young
Yellow-legged Gull
that may have scavenged its fish
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Overview of different species of shearwaters hunting in
coastal waters off the south-western tip of Iberia
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.