Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Ardenna carneipes
- Family
- Petrels, Shearwaters, and Diving Petrels (Procellariidae)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
Overview
The flesh-footed shearwater (Ardenna carneipes), also called sable shearwater, is a medium-large shearwater that mainly inhabits the Indo-Pacific. Its plumage is black with pale pinkish feet, and a pale bill with a distinct black tip. Together with the equally light-billed pink-footed shearwater, it forms the Hemipuffinus group, a superspecies which may or may not have an Atlantic relative in the great shearwater. These large shearwaters are among those that have been separated into the genus Ardenna.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds islets off St. Paul (central Indian Ocean), southern Australia, Lord Howe Island (east of Australia), North Island and Cook Strait (New Zealand); ranges to Arabian Sea, eastern Malagasy region, and Sea of Okhotsk to Gulf of Alaska and western USA coast (rare).
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Flesh-footed shearwater
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
