Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)


Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)
Off Cape Hatteras from the Stormy Petrel II, NC
20 Feb 2010

Common spring migrant offshore in North Carolina waters.

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)
Off Cape Hatteras from the Stormy Petrel II, NC
20 Feb 2010

They feed mostly on fish and squid near the surface but are able to dive over 150 feet deep if necessary. They'll even mix in with gulls for scraps and chum thrown off boats.

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)
Off Cape Hatteras from the Stormy Petrel II, NC
20 Feb 2010

Sooty Shearwaters are pretty much all brown with whitish under the flight feathers.

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)
Off Cape Hatteras from the Stormy Petrel II, NC
20 Feb 2010

In order to take flight from the water, they must run along the surface for a few meters.

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)
Off Cape Hatteras from the Stormy Petrel II, NC
20 Feb 2010


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Created on ... February 24, 2010 | Updated on ... February 22, 2004 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com