White-headed Petrel vs Balearic Shearwater
Pterodroma lessonii compared with Puffinus mauretanicus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-headed Petrel | Balearic Shearwater |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pterodroma lessonii | Puffinus mauretanicus |
| Order | Procellariiformes | Procellariiformes |
| Family | Procellariidae | Procellariidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 60.7 cm (23.9 in) | 48.4 cm (19.1 in) |
| Weight | 695.0 g (24.52 oz) | 514.8 g (18.16 oz) |
| Diet | -- | -- |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Conservation Status
Least Concern
White-headed Petrel
Critically Endangered
Balearic Shearwater
About These Birds
White-headed Petrel
43 cm, wingspan 109 cm. Large petrel with white head, grey back, and white underparts; dark upperwing. Breeds Kerguelen, Macquarie, Auckland, and Antipodes islands. Ranges in subantarctic to temperate Southern Ocean. Feeds on squid and fish; nocturnal at colonies.
Balearic Shearwater
30–38 cm. Brown above; variably dirty-white to brown below; often shows brown smudging on flanks. Breeds only Balearic Islands, Spain. Critically Endangered with fewer than 3,000 pairs; faces extinction. Migrates to NE Atlantic; threatened by predators, fishing bycatch, and tourist development.