Great Shearwater vs Heinroth's Shearwater

Ardenna gravis compared with Puffinus heinrothi

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Great Shearwater Heinroth's Shearwater
Scientific Name Ardenna gravis Puffinus heinrothi
Order Procellariiformes Procellariiformes
Family Procellariidae Procellariidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Vulnerable
Length
Wingspan 63.6 cm (25.0 in) 35.7 cm (14.1 in)
Weight 832.5 g (29.37 oz) 82.0 g (2.89 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 1 --
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Great Shearwater only

Heinroth's Shearwater only

None

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Great Shearwater

Vulnerable

Heinroth's Shearwater

About These Birds

Great Shearwater

43–51 cm, wingspan 105–122 cm. Large; dark brown above with white underparts, dark cap, and distinctive scaly pattern on upperwing. Breeds Tristan da Cunha, Gough, and Falklands; migrates to North Atlantic. Feeds on fish and squid; spectacular post-breeding migration past UK coasts.

Heinroth's Shearwater

27 cm. Small dark shearwater; all sooty-brown with pale bill. Breeds Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Critically Endangered; extremely poorly known with only a handful of records. Breeding biology almost completely unknown; one of the rarest and least-studied seabirds.

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