Avise's Birds of the World

Sooty Shearwater
Puffinus griseus

Native Range: worldwide

Notes: named for its sooty coloration and the 'shearing' flight of the genus in which birds at sea dip from side to side on stiff wings and relatively few wingbeats; breeds mainly on small islands near New Zealand as well as at a few other sites in the southern hemisphere; otherwise travels widely at sea, often forming dense aggregations where food is plentiful; some birds travel more that 70,000 kilometers annually between nesting sites and summering grounds in the northern oceans; feeds on fish and squid, often following fishing boats to grab by-catch thrown overboard.