This bird is almost cosmopolitan in distribution, but perhaps the South
Atlantic is its main home, and it is commoner up the North American
coast than on this side. Several examples have been shot in this
country. The legs and wings are longer than in the preceding species and
the webs of the feet are _yellow_ at their bases. The general colour
above and below is sooty brown with white on upper tail coverts and
thigh patches, and also at the base of the outer tail feathers. Length 7
in.; wing 6 in.
THE FRIGATE PETREL
Pelagodroma marina (Latham)
Of late years two examples of this Petrel have been washed up on our
shores. The Salvages are the nearest breeding haunts of this species,
but it is also found in the south seas.
The crown, nape, and patch behind the eye are slate grey; upper parts
grey; wing coverts brown; quills blackish. Tail black; under parts white
tinged with grey on the flanks. Length 7·75 in.; wing 6·25 in.
THE GREAT SHEARWATER
Puffinus gravis, O’Reilly
This species is a fairly regular summer visitor to the waters round our
coasts, but it does not often approach the land.
Nothing is known of its breeding haunts, which are probably in the
Antarctic seas.
The upper parts are ash brown, mottled with white on the upper tail
coverts. Under parts white, sometimes brownish on the belly. Legs
pinkish. Length 19 in.; wing 12·7 in.
THE SOOTY SHEARWATER
Puffinus griseus (J. F. Gmelin)
This species visits us yearly but is much scarcer than the Great
Shearwater.
Its only known nesting haunts are in Chatham Islands and others near New
Zealand, but the birds which visit us probably nest in the South
Atlantic.
The whole of the plumage is brown, rather greyer below and more mottled.
Legs blackish outside, lilac grey within. Length 18 in.; wing 12 in.
THE MEDITERRANEAN GREAT SHEARWATER
Puffinus kuhli (Boie)
A single specimen of this Atlantic and Mediterranean Shearwater was
picked up on the Sussex coast in 1906. It is similar to the Dusky
Shearwater but greyer, wings and tail blackish brown, under parts pure
white. Length 17·25 in.; wing 12·75 in.
THE MANX SHEARWATER
Puffinus anglorum (Temminck)
The Manx Shearwater is the commonest of the Shearwaters that are found
round our coasts. It is resident with us throughout the year, feeding
chiefly on fish, offal, etc., that it finds on or near the surface.
During the nesting season it retires to secluded parts of the coast,
where it lays its single white egg in rabbit-burrows or other crevices.
It is not known to breed on the east coast, but down the west from Wales
northwards as well as in Ireland it breeds commonly, though from its
nocturnal habits the nest is not always easy to find.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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