Resources Recent bird sightings Bird Photographs Notes: A - Z Index Notes: Taxonomic Index Outer Hebrides Checklist Useful contacts Archived Sightings Wildlife Garden Bird ringing in Lewis

Bird Sightings : Hebrides : Balearic Shearwater

Awaiting image for this species

 

Balearic Shearwater

(Mediterranean Shearwater)

Puffinus mauretanicus

 

• Balearic Shearwater (Mediterranean Shearwater)
• Puffinus mauretanicus
• UK: RED LIST Critically endangered. 2000 birds annually BTO
• WI: Vagrant / Rare Visitor June - September. The best year on record had 6 records, there are only about 20 in total
• Breeds: Burrows & coastal cliffs in Balearic Islands & Mediterranean in Jan & Feb. Burrows only visited at night-time avoiding large gull predation. Vulnerable to rat predation.
• Winters: Most in Balearic sea / Mediterranean. Some reach the Atlantic Ocean in late summer (then range north to Great Britain & Ireland).
• Habitat: Seabird (Pelagic), breeds in island burrows & cliffs
• Diet: Mostly small fish, also squid & molluscs
• Flight shearing (dips from side to side with stiff wings & few wing beats, wingtips almost touch water). Looks like flying cross - wings held right angles to body. Colour changes dusky brown to paler shade as the dark above & paler below alternately exposed, but not contrasting strongly like a Manx.
• Similar birds: Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, (Also Cory's Shearwater & Great Shearwater but they are rare)

 

The Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) was long regarded a subspecies of the Manx Shearwater. It is now recognised as a distinct species. It has less contrasting plumage, so it's colour change is from dark-brown to dirty white as it's upper and below parts are alternately exposed in it's flight across the sea.

 

Balearic Shearwater records in the Western Isles

Vagrant / Rare Visitor June - September.
The best year on record had 6 records, there are only about 20 in total
Source: Outer Hebrides Bird Report (2001)

 

On the chart below the darker the shade of blue the more abundant the Balearic Shearwater is during a month or the more likely you are to see it.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D

(Source: Outer Hebrides Birds Checklist)

 

 

Other local bird photographs

Sources of information for the bird sightings section

Home • Contact Webmaster

Copyright © 2010 Western Isles Netspace.  User Agreement and Privacy policy