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Sooty Shearwater

Ardenna grisea

Near Threatened (IUCN Red List)Shearwaters and Petrels
Sooty Shearwater, photographed by JJ Harrison

Photo: JJ Harrison · Wikimedia · CC-BY-SA 3.0 (licence)

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Call and song

About the Sooty Shearwater

Medium-sized, dark brown shearwater with silvery flashes on underwings. Narrow wings with quick, deep wingbeats. Widespread and common, especially in the Pacific; can sometimes be seen close to shore. Can be in massive flocks. Extremely similar to Short-tailed Shearwater, but Sooty is heavier and has straighter wings; also look for slightly longer bill and less rounded head. Brown plumage is reminiscent of Flesh-footed Shearwater, but Sooty is narrower-winged and has a smaller, all-dark bill.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 106 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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