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Field Guide for all the Birds of North America

Shearwaters

Puffins

Procellariidae

Information, images and range maps on over 1,000 birds of North America, including sub-species, vagrants, introduced birds and possibilities

There are at least 15 types of shearwaters that have been identified in the oceans surrounding the continent of North America. The shearwaters are members of the tubenose family, which means that the nostrils are in the form of two tubes seen on the top of their upper bill. Shearwaters are pelagic in nature, returning to land masses to nest and raise their young or driven into the coast by high winds or storms. These birds are seen on the open ocean in large flocks, feeding on schools of fish that they have found by searching the ocean surfaces.

The plumage of all shearwaters have common colours, mostly grey, black or brown backs and white undersides, except in some species such as the Sooty Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater and the Short-tailed Shearwater to name a few, that have dark backs and dark undersides.

Click on the bird images or names to see pictures of the Shearwaters

Audubon's Shearwater

Barolo Shearwater

Black-vented Shearwater

Buller's Shearwater

Cape Verde Shearwater

Cory's Shearwater

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Great Shearwater

Little Shearwater

Manx Shearwater

Newell's Shearwater

Pink-footed Shearwater

Short-tailed Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

Streaked Shearwater

Townsend's Shearwater

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

References to Other Bird Sites:

Avibase - the world bird database This site provides the user with a complete list of bird species, broken down per country, or in the example of the US or Canada, per state and province. Here, bird species names are available in other languages, a great asset to be used as a translation of foreign bird names.

ABA - American Birding Association This site represents an organization that maintains official records of all birds species that have been proven to have been seen inside the perimeters of the North American Continent and the surrounding bodies of water. Regular revised versions are posted to keep the bird list current at all times. This is the list used by all serious birders over their lifetime. You may be aware of the movie called the "Big Year". It was with this list that all the competing birders used in an attempt to set a new record as to how many bird species that could be seen by an individual birder in one calendar year.

I hope you will take advantage of these suggested websites. I have used each of them, in one way or another, throughout the years in my quest to better identify and understand our fine feathered friends.

Classic Collection of North American Birds

CCNAB