Atlantic Petrel vs Townsend's Shearwater

Pterodroma incerta compared with Puffinus auricularis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Atlantic Petrel Townsend's Shearwater
Scientific Name Pterodroma incerta Puffinus auricularis
Order Procellariiformes Procellariiformes
Family Procellariidae Procellariidae
Conservation Status Endangered Critically Endangered
Length
Wingspan 63.6 cm (25.0 in) 44.0 cm (17.3 in)
Weight 515.0 g (18.17 oz) 324.0 g (11.43 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 1 1
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Atlantic Petrel only

Townsend's Shearwater only

None

Conservation Status

Endangered

Atlantic Petrel

Critically Endangered

Townsend's 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.

Townsend's Shearwater

33–35 cm. Dark above; white below with dark vent and undertail. Breeds Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico); Critically Endangered with fewer than 1,000 pairs. Threatened by introduced cats and rats; strictly nocturnal at colonies. Ranges in eastern Pacific.

More Birds to Explore

Explore the Nature FYI Family