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Little Shearwater
Puffinus assimilis
Conservation status
Listed as Vulnerable under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act.
What does it look like?
It has striking black and white plumage, a small size and relatively short wings which make the Little Shearwater easy to distinguish in the air. It is a fast, low flier, beating its wings more rapidly than larger shearwaters and gliding shorter distances on stiff wings.
Where does it live?
The temperate seas of Indian, Atlantic and southern Pacific Ocean including waters of south-western and south-eastern Australia. Australia has a large breeding colony on Lord Howe Island.
What is its life cycle?
The Little Shearwater will never visit its breeding colony by daylight. Activity and noise at the colony increases nightly until egg-laying – over June or July – then tails off, with only occasional bursts from influxes of non-breeding or resting birds. Breeders will defend their burrows by raising wings and growling. They court with much reciprocal billing, preening of heads and duetting, their napes arched, throats swollen and nostrils sometimes oozing reddish saline. Chicks hatch in August and at first fed nightly by both parents, fledge in October-November. The shearwaters seem to be fairly sedentary around their colonies.
Updated: 21 Jun 2011
Related Links
- Little Shearwater - DEC - NSW Threatened Species Profile