Atlantic Petrel vs Subantarctic Shearwater

Pterodroma incerta compared with Puffinus elegans

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Atlantic Petrel Subantarctic Shearwater
Scientific Name Pterodroma incerta Puffinus elegans
Order Procellariiformes Procellariiformes
Family Procellariidae Procellariidae
Conservation Status Endangered Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 63.6 cm (25.0 in) 36.8 cm (14.5 in)
Weight 515.0 g (18.17 oz) 222.5 g (7.85 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 1 1
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Atlantic Petrel only

Subantarctic Shearwater only

Conservation Status

Endangered

Atlantic Petrel

Least Concern

Subantarctic Shearwater

About These Birds

Atlantic Petrel

43 cm, wingspan 104 cm. Large; dark brown above with pale belly and dusky breast-band creating hooded appearance. Breeds Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island; ranges into south Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Endangered; threatened by introduced predators and longline fisheries.

Subantarctic Shearwater

27–30 cm. Dark above; white below with clean sharp borders; slightly larger than related small shearwaters. Breeds subantarctic islands (Tristan da Cunha, Gough, St. Paul). Ranges in subantarctic Southern Ocean. Separated from Little Shearwater by range and subtle differences.

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