Balearic Shearwater

Puffinus mauretanicus

Cánóg Bhailéarach

Status: Scarce passage migrant off all Irish coasts from July to November. Rare offshore during winter and spring.

Conservation Concern: Red-listed in Ireland. Balearic Shearwater is listed as Critically Endangered by BirdLife International due to its very small breeding range and population. The latter is estimated at less than 10,000 pairs, undergoing a very large decline.

Identification: Slightly larger than Manx Shearwater and in all respects very similar to that species. The most noticeable differences include paler brown upperparts, as well as more extensive darker markings on the underparts (throat and vent) and wing. The white on the underparts (belly) tends to appear as an isolated patch. Balearic Shearwaters are a slightly different shape to Manx Shearwater, appearing more like a small Sooty Shearwater. Rarely, Balearic Shearwaters can be as pale as Manx Shearwater or even as dark as Sooty Shearwater.

Similar species: Other Shearwater species.

Call: Silent on migration.

Diet: Balearic Shearwaters mainly feed on small fish such as Sardines, as well as squid and small crustaceans.

Breeding: The breeding population is confined to the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.

Wintering: On the open ocean of the western Mediterranean and east Atlantic.

Where to see: Coastal headlands of the south and west coasts (for example, Cape Clear) are the most reliable sites to observe Balearic Shearwaters in Ireland.

Monitored by: SeaTrack