Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)

Fairly common in the spring and summer offshore from Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.
Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
31 May 2007

Feeding with Wilson's Storm-Petrels on an unknown slab of meat/fat/something that we came across in the Gulf Stream. There were two such slabs floating within a few hundred meters of each other, and both were attracting shearwaters and storm-petrels.

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwaters (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
31 May 2007

Photgraphed with a Canon EOS 20d using only a 100mm macro lens on a Brian Patteson Seabirding trip


Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwaters (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
31 May 2007

Greater Shearwaters have a dark cap, slender dark bill, and white underwings with a black pattern. Note particularly the black belly smudge.

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwaters (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
31 May 2007

Greater Shearwaters also show a white color and a thin pale band near the base of the tail.

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwaters (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
31 May 2007

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwaters (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
31 May 2007

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwaters (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
31 May 2007


Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005

Note the dark cap, dark bill, and dark smudge on belly

Photographed with a "point & shoot" Nikon CoolPix 4500 with a 2X extender lens on a Brian Patteson Seabirding trip.

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005
Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005
Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005

Greater Shearwaters, like many tubenoses, will sit on the water in calm conditions.

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005
Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005

They'll often stick their heads underwater to look for food.

Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005
Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005

In mixed flocks, Greater Shearwaters often lift their wings to protect their personal feeding territory.
Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis) Greater Shearwater (Puffinis gravis)
Cape Hatteras, NC
5 June 2005

With Wilson's Storm-Petrels


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Created on ... July 10, 2005 | Updated on ...June 4, 2007 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com