| Galápagos shearwater | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Procellariidae |
| Genus: | Puffinus |
| Species: | P. subalaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Puffinus subalaris Ridgway, 1897 | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Puffinus lherminieri subalaris | |
TheGalápagos shearwater (Puffinus subalaris) is a smallshearwater. Until recently it was considered to be a subspecies ofAudubon's shearwater, but it is actually one of two members of a very ancient lineage of the smallPuffinus species, the other being, as indicated bymtDNAcytochromebsequence data, theChristmas shearwater.[3]
It is anendemic breeder of theGalápagos Islands, and is largely sedentary, although individuals are commonly seen as far as theOaxacan coast ofMexico.[4]
The Galápagos shearwater has dark brown upperparts, undertail and underwing flight feathers, the rest of the underpartsplumage being white. It sometimes has a dark collar. Both sexes are alike, as are the young afterfledging.[4]
It is a slender-bodied shearwater, about 29–31 cm long, with a wingspan of around 63 cm and weighs 123-225 g. The species closely resembles thetropical shearwater, although the latter is typically blacker and has a longer tail.[4]
The Galápagos shearwater is a gregarious species and will feed at sea with other shearwaters andboobies. It flies low over the water and feeds onsquid,fish and offal. It intersperses 4-10 stiff wing beats with shallow glides.[4]
