The Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris) is an Australian bird or regular visitor that can be identified most reliably by combining shape, plumage, habitat and behaviour. A dark brown shearwater with narrow wings, a short rounded tail and a relatively small bill; the underwings can appear silvery in strong light but are not clean white. Adults are typically about 40–45 cm long, although posture, sex, age and plumage can affect how large an individual appears in the field.
How to identify a Short-tailed Shearwater
A dark brown shearwater with narrow wings, a short rounded tail and a relatively small bill; the underwings can appear silvery in strong light but are not clean white. Start with overall silhouette before focusing on colour. Check the bill, legs, tail, wing shape and any bold head or body pattern. Distance, shade, glare and strong Australian sunlight can change the apparent colour of feathers, so several matching features are more useful than a single mark.
Short-tailed Shearwaters form huge flocks at sea and can dive deeply after prey. Their annual migration links southern Australian breeding colonies with the North Pacific. Behaviour can be one of the quickest ways to confirm an identification because closely related birds often feed, fly or perch differently even when their plumage looks similar.
Where is the Short-tailed Shearwater found in Australia?
A very abundant Australian-breeding seabird, nesting mainly around Tasmania and Bass Strait before migrating across the Pacific.
Typical habitat includes open ocean and continental shelf waters; breeding colonies occur on islands and coastal headlands with suitable soil for burrows. Distribution can shift with rainfall, drought, breeding conditions, migration, tides and local food supply, so an apparently unusual sighting should be checked against season as well as location.
What does the Short-tailed Shearwater eat?
Krill, small fish, squid and other marine animals, often taken by pursuit-diving as well as surface feeding. Watching exactly how a bird feeds can provide another useful clue. Note whether it runs and pecks, probes mud, sweeps its bill, plunge-dives, surface-dips or catches food in flight. Feeding technique often separates species that share the same habitat.
Wild birds do not need processed human food. Protecting natural habitat, clean water and native food sources is usually a better way to support them than regular feeding.
Behaviour and calls
Short-tailed Shearwaters form huge flocks at sea and can dive deeply after prey. Their annual migration links southern Australian breeding colonies with the North Pacific.
Breeding colonies are noisy after dark, with harsh crooning, grunting and wailing calls coming from burrows and flying birds. Voice can be especially useful when distance, a crowded flock or low light makes visual identification difficult. Try to notice the rhythm and tone as well as a written approximation of the sound.
Nesting and breeding
They nest in burrows, usually laying a single egg. Adults make long oceanic foraging trips while raising the chick. Breeding timing varies according to latitude, climate and species. Many migratory shorebirds seen in Australia breed in the Northern Hemisphere, while resident terns and seabirds may nest on Australian beaches or offshore islands. If you find a nest or dependent young, observe from a respectful distance.
Similar birds
Sooty Shearwaters are very similar but tend to be larger and longer-winged; Wedge-tailed Shearwaters have a longer wedge-shaped tail and can show pale morphs.
When two species remain difficult to separate, compare photographs against multiple field marks rather than choosing on colour alone. Geographic range, voice, habitat and feeding style may be more decisive than one feather pattern.
Quick identification tip
Remember three things: its approximate size is 40–45 cm; its key visual clue is a dark brown shearwater with narrow wings, a short rounded tail and a relatively small bill; the underwings can appear silvery in strong light but are not clean white.; and a typical setting is open ocean and continental shelf waters; breeding colonies occur on islands and coastal headlands with suitable soil for burrows. Matching all three gives a much stronger identification than any one clue by itself.
Sources and further reading
For additional Australian bird information and conservation guidance, see BirdLife Australia bird profiles and the Australian Museum bird collection. Image licensing and creator information for this page is recorded from the linked Wikimedia Commons file page.
