The short-tailed shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris) is a seabird belonging to family Procellariidae. The short-tailed shearwater ranges across Pacific and Indian Oceans. These shearwaters are migratory birds breeding in Tasmania and Australia.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had categorized and evaluated these shearwater species and had listed them as of 'Least Concern'.
These birds are medium sized, measuring 40 to 45 cm in length and weighing 500 to 900 grams. They have a wingspan of about 100 cm. These birds are blackish brown on the cap and slightly paler over rest of the upper parts. They have blunt-tail and black-bill. They are seen inshore and offshore. It feeds on fish, squids and shrimps. They breed during September and October. Both the parents take turn to feed the single chick.
Indian birds - Short-tailed shearwater - Ardenna tenuirostris |
Image source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puffinus_tenuirostris_3.jpg
Author: JJ Harrison | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Current topic in Birds of India: Short tailed - Ardenna tenuirostris.