Puffinus subalaris
The Galapagos Shearwater (Puffinus subalaris) is a charismatic seabird endemic to the Galápagos Islands, a true specialist of these unique equatorial waters. This relatively small shearwater measures approximately 29-31 cm (11-12 in) in length with a wingspan of 60-63 cm (24-25 in) and weighs around 130-170 g. Its plumage is strikingly bicolored: sooty dark brown to black above, contrasting sharply with clean white underparts. Distinctive field marks include its fast, stiff-winged flight, oft...
This pelagic seabird inhabits coastal and offshore marine environments, utilizing the barren islets and lava flows of the Galápagos Archipelago for breeding.
Their diet primarily consists of small fish, such as anchovies and sardines, as well as squid and crustaceans, captured through diving and surface-feeding.
Galapagos Shearwaters exhibit a fascinating duality in their daily activity; they are largely diurnal when foraging at sea, but become strictly nocturnal when attending their breeding colonies on land, a strategy to evade predatory birds like owls and gulls. Foraging involves a combination of sur...
The Galapagos Shearwater is strictly endemic to the Galápagos Archipelago, where it is a resident year-round. It breeds on numerous islands and islets throughout the archipelago, including Fernandina, Isabela, Floreana, Española, Santa Fe, Genovesa, Marchena, Pinta, Pinzón, and San Cristóbal. Whi...
Least Concern
- The Galapagos Shearwater is one of only two shearwater species endemic to the Galápagos Islands (the other being the Galápagos Petrel, *Pterodroma phaeopygia*). - Despite its relatively small size, it performs impressive foraging trips, sometimes traveling hundreds of kilometers from its breedi...