Bird species profile
Sooty Shearwater
Ardenna grisea
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Procellariidae
About the species
The Sooty Shearwater is a sleek, dark-plumaged seabird renowned for its extraordinary long-distance migrations. With slender wings and a streamlined body, it is built for dynamic soaring over open oceans. Breeding in large colonies on islands in the southern hemisphere, including Patagonia, these birds spend most of their lives at sea, only coming ashore to nest. Their flight is powerful and graceful, often gliding low over the waves. Sooty Shearwaters are highly social, forming immense flocks during migration and at sea. Their presence is a familiar sight along Patagonian coasts during the austral summer, where they play a vital role in marine ecosystems.
Habitat
Open ocean, coastal waters, and offshore islands, especially during breeding season in southern South America.
Foraging
Feeds by diving and surface-seizing, mainly on fish, squid, and crustaceans, often following fishing vessels.
