Puffinus lherminieri
The Sargasso Shearwater (*Puffinus lherminieri*), also widely known as Audubon's Shearwater, is a diminutive yet resilient pelagic seabird belonging to the Procellariidae family. Measuring approximately 27-33 cm (11-13 inches) in length with a wingspan of 64-78 cm (25-31 inches) and weighing 150-250 grams, it is characterized by its striking dark blackish-brown upperparts that contrast sharply with clean white underparts and dark underwing coverts with paler flight feathers. A key field mark ...
This is an exclusively pelagic species, inhabiting the offshore waters of tropical and subtropical oceans, and nesting colonially on small, predator-free islands.
Their diet primarily consists of small fish (e.g., flying fish, anchovies), squid, and pelagic crustaceans (e.g., krill, euphausiids), which they catch by surface-seizing or shallow diving.
Sargasso Shearwaters are diurnal foragers at sea but become strictly nocturnal when visiting their breeding colonies to minimize predation risk from aerial predators. They primarily forage by surface-seizing or making shallow dives, often associating with schools of predatory fish that drive prey...
The Sargasso Shearwater (*Puffinus lherminieri* sensu stricto) is widely distributed across the tropical and subtropical Atlantic and Caribbean Seas. Breeding occurs predominantly on islands throughout the West Indies, including the Bahamas, Bermuda, Greater Antilles, and numerous islands of the ...
Least Concern
- Sargasso Shearwaters are almost entirely silent at sea, reserving their eerie cooing and cackling vocalizations exclusively for their nocturnal breeding colonies. - Despite their small size, they possess an impressive sense of smell, aided by their tube-noses, which helps them locate food patch...