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Little Shearwater

Puffinus assimilis

The little shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) is a small shearwater in the petrel family Procellariidae. Despite the generic name, it is unrelated to the puffins, which are auks, the only similarity being that they are both burrow-nesting seabirds. This shearwater has the typically "shearing" flight of the genus, dipping from side to side on stiff wings with few beats, the wingtips almost touching the water, though in light winds it has a more flapping flight than that of its larger relatives. In flight it looks cross-shaped, with its wings held at right angles to the body, its colouration changing from black to white as the black upperparts and white underparts are alternately exposed as it travels low over the sea. At 25–30 cm in length with a 58–67 cm wingspan, it is like a small Manx shearwater but has proportionally shorter and broader wings, with a pale area on the inner flight feathers. Its bill is more slender than that of Manx, and its dark eye stands out against the surrounding white area.
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Little Shearwaters on Birda

Sightings

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Ernst Retief
Wednesday 26 Jan 2022 - 4:02pm
A map showing the sighting location
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Hannah Buschert
Wednesday 26 Jan 2022 - 3:19pm
A map showing the sighting location
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Erik Ostrander
Wednesday 26 Jan 2022 - 3:19pm
A map showing the sighting location
ðŸū
Henry Symington
Thursday 27 Apr 2017 - 10:36am
South Africa
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