Shearwater
| Shearwater | ||||||||
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Christmas shearwater ( Puffinus nativitatis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Puffinus | ||||||||
| Brisson , 1760 |
The Shearwater ( Puffinus ) are a class of small-to-medium sea birds in the family of Petrel . The birds of this genus are most likely to be found in colder or temperate latitudes.
The species of the genus have long wings and a dark top in brown, gray or black tones. The underside is usually lighter to completely white. Like all species in the family, they have tubular nostrils at the top of the beak.
In flight they only flap their wings a few times and glide longer distances. In some small species the wings are straight, while in larger specimens an angle can be seen at the wrist.
Only islands and rocky coastal areas serve as breeding grounds. Species of this genus breed in colonies that are only approached at night, if possible on nights with little moonlight, in order to minimize the risk of birds of prey and large seagulls. They breed in hollows and lay only one white egg. Apart from the breeding season, they are markedly pelagic . Many species are migratory birds that migrate over long distances. The dark shearwater ( Puffinus griseus ) even covers distances of up to 65,000 kilometers in one season. Shearwater divers are extremely durable, with an age of up to 55 years in the wild.
Fish , octopuses and other marine animals serve as food . Some species accompany fishing boats and pick up the fishing waste.
Genera and species
The systematics of this genus is controversial and different biologists list a different number of species.
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Puffinus
- Lesser Shearwater ( P. assimilis )
- Townsend Shearwater ( P. auricularis )
- Midway Shearwater ( P. bryani )
- Gray-necked Shearwater ( P. bulleri )
- Pink-footed Shearwater ( P. creatopus )
- Pale-footed Shearwater ( P. carneipes )
- Flatter Shearwater ( P. gavia )
- Great Shearwater ( P. gravis )
- Dark Shearwater ( P. griseus )
- Heinroth shearwater ( P. heinrothi )
- Hutton Shearwater ( P. huttoni )
- Shed Shearwater ( P. lherminieri )
- Balearic Shearwater ( P. mauretanicus )
- Christmas shearwater ( P. nativitatis )
- Newell shearwater ( P. newelli )
- Black-tailed Shearwater ( P. opisthomelas )
- Wedge-tailed shearwater ( P. pacificus )
- Persian Shearwater ( P. persicus )
- Atlantic shearwater ( P. puffinus )
- Short-tailed shearwater ( P. tenuirostris )
- Mediterranean shearwater ( P. yelkouan )
According to recent studies, the genus Puffinus is paraphyletic in relation to the genus Calonectris , so it should be united with it. The genus Calonectris contains the following species:
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Calonectris
- Corys shearwater ( C. borealis )
- Yellow-billed Shearwater ( C. diomedea )
- Cape Verde Shearwater ( C. edwardsii )
- White-faced shearwater ( C. leucomelas )
swell
- Larsson, Lars (2001) Birds of the World , CD-ROM
