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Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea) Alternate name(s): "New Zealand Muttonbird", "Ghost Bird", "King Muttonbird", "Sombre Shearwater" German name(s): "Dunkler Sturmtaucher" Size: 40-51 cm; wing span 0.95-1.1 m Body mass: 650-980 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 1.1

Europe: Family Group 3 Family Group 3 Table Black-browed Albatross Northern Fulmar Great Shearwater Cory's Shearwater Scopoli's Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Manx Shearwater Balearic Shearwater Zino's Petrel Wilson's Storm-Petrel European Storm-Petrel Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Sooty Shearwaters are medium-sized seabirds with an overall dark-brown plumage. The only exception from this homogeneous colour is that they have grey or greyish-brown underwing coverts. The legs and feet are grey. The feet reach slightly beyond the end of the tail. Their main characteristic is that in flight they can often be seen with wingtips bowed upwards.

Taxonomy, classification See Sooty Shearwater at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Sooty Shearwater is available HERE . Sooty Shearwaters are a global, long-distance migratory pelagic species. They are at home anywhere on the open seas on both the southern and the northern hemisphere, EXCEPT the central and northern Indian Ocean and all enclosed waters, such as the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and waters between the major groups of islands in South-east Asia (Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea). Their breeding grounds are on the southern hemisphere, on islands of the southern Pacific Ocean and the southern Atlantic Ocean. In Europe, Sooty Shearwaters are present only outside their breeding season, when roaming the open seas and coastal waters. They can be found in waters off western Europe, anywhere from Gibraltar in the South, via the North Sea, to near-coastal north-western Norway in the North. They do not enter the Baltic Sea. Sooty Shearwaters are found mostly on the open seas, but also in coastal waters and, during their breeding season, on offshore islands.

Sightings Click here for sighting information J. Pires reports spotting Sooty Shearwaters 5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, in October of 2018 and subsequent years until 2022. I. Chisnall reports spotting a Sooty Shearwater on a pelagic off the Isles of Scilly, England, in August 2023.

Photos

ADULT

Near-lateral view of a Sooty Shearwater (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Lateral view of a Sooty Shearwater landing on water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Lateral view of a Sooty Shearwater (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

Lateral view of Sooty Shearwater (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Shearwater landing on water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Shearwater (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

Dorsal view of a Sooty Shearwater (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[5 NM off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

Lateral comparison of a Sooty Shearwater with a Great Shearwater (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Shearwater taking off (1 of 4) (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Shearwater taking off (2 of 4) (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Shearwater taking off (3 of 4) (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Shearwater taking off (4 of 4) (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-lateral view of Sooty Shearwater in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-lateral view of Sooty Shearwater in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-dorsal view of Sooty Shearwater in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Dorsal view of Sooty Shearwater in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

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]

Behaviour

Sooty Shearwaters are most commonly found on passage on the eastern Atlantic Ocean in the northern autumn when starting to return to their breeding grounds in the southern hemisphere.

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.