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Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris)

Short-tailed Shearwater

Ardenna tenuirostris

Least Concern

Overview

The short-tailed shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris), also known as the muttonbird, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters. It is a migratory species that breeds primarily on small islands in Bass Strait and Tasmania before travelling to the Northern Hemisphere for the boreal summer.

Habitat

This species breeds mainly on small islands in Bass Strait and Tasmania, with the largest known population located on Babel Island in the Furneaux Group. During migration, they travel to the seas off the Aleutian Islands and Kamchatka, later moving down the coast of California and across the Pacific to return to Australia.

Diet

Adults forage on the open ocean, often covering distances of up to 1,500 km during trips that last as long as three weeks. However, they frequently mistake plastic debris for food, which can lead to contamination and harm when fed to their chicks.

Did you know?

During their maiden flights from nests to the open ocean, thousands of fledglings are attracted to artificial lights, leading to vulnerabilities such as collisions with human infrastructure, predation, or road casualties.

Sources