EntdeckenVögel

Wedge-Tailed Shearwater

ardenna pacifica

The wedge-tailed shearwater is a remarkable pelagic seabird that spends the vast majority of its life soaring over the vast expanses of the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. Known affectionately in Hawaii as the 'ua'u kani, which translates to 'moaning petrel,' these birds are famous for the eerie, ghost-like wailing choruses they produce within their nesting colonies at night. They are superb ocean gliders, perfectly adapted to dynamic soaring, which allows them to travel thousands of miles with minimal wing flapping. Despite their absolute mastery of the winds and waves, they must return to land to breed. They assemble in large, noisy colonies on offshore islands, where they dig deep underground burrows to raise a single chick. These birds serve as vital ecological links, transferring marine-derived nutrients back to terrestrial island ecosystems through their nesting activities.

Lebensraum: Found across open tropical and subtropical oceans, nesting primarily on offshore sandy or rocky islands with low vegetation or loose soil suitable for digging burrows.

Aussehen

Wedge-tailed shearwaters are medium-sized seabirds easily distinguished by their long, wedge-shaped tails and slender wings. They exhibit two distinct color phases: a dark morph, which is entirely dark grey-brown, and a pale morph, which features grey-brown upperparts contrasted with clean white underparts. They possess a slender, dark grey bill with a hooked tip and characteristic tube-nosed nostrils, while their legs and webbed feet are a pale flesh-pink color. In flight, they hold their wings slightly bowed and forward-pointing, effortlessly skimming the crests of ocean waves.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseAvesOrdnungProcellariiformesFamilieProcellariidaeGattungArdenna

Wedge-Tailed Shearwater

Kategorie

Vögel

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Their Hawaiian name 'ʻuaʻu kani' means 'moaning petrel' due to the eerie wails and groans they make in their colonies at night, which sound remarkably like crying babies or ghosts.

They are incredibly faithful to their nesting sites, often returning to the exact same burrow with the same mate year after year.

To survive long oceanic journeys, they produce a highly concentrated, energy-rich stomach oil from digested prey that can be stored for long periods or fed to their chicks.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Utilizes wind shear close to the ocean surface to fly vast distances while expending almost no energy.

Possesses specialized salt glands above the nasal passages to excrete excess salt swallowed while drinking seawater.

Uses its sharp claws and webbed feet to dig tunnels up to several feet deep in sandy or volcanic soils for safe nesting.

Maße und Details

Länge: 41+ cm
Flügelspannweite: 97+ cm
Gewicht: 0.3+ kg
Lebenserwartung: 10+ Jahre
Top Speed: 60 km/h
Gelegegröße: 1+
Brutzeit: 48+ Tage
Zugstrecke: 10000 km

Ernährung und Fütterung

Feeds primarily on small fish, squid, and crustaceans captured at or just below the ocean's surface.

Altersunterschiede: Chicks are fed regurgitated stomach oil rich in lipids, while adults consume whole marine organisms.

Hauptnahrung

Flying Fish
Squid
Goatfish
Larval Crustaceans

Nahrungssuche

Pursuit

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

mutualism

Skipjack Tuna

Katsuwonus pelamis

Tuna drive schools of small fish to the ocean surface, making them accessible to the foraging shearwaters.

eaten by

Polynesian Rat

Rattus exulans

An invasive predator that raids nesting burrows on islands to consume shearwater eggs and defenseless chicks.

competitor

Great Frigatebird

Fregata minor

Harasses shearwaters in flight to force them to regurgitate their catch, a behavior known as kleptoparasitism.

Merkmale

Für dieses Objekt sind noch keine Merkmal-Badges vergeben.

Auch bekannt als

Noch keine Alternativnamen vorhanden.

Sammlungen

Sammlungen für dieses Objekt erscheinen hier, wenn weitere Themen hinzugefügt werden.

Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man Wedge-Tailed Shearwater?

Der einfachste Weg, Wedge-Tailed Shearwater zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von Wedge-Tailed Shearwater?

41+ cm

Was ist der/die/das flügelspannweite von Wedge-Tailed Shearwater?

97+ cm

Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Wedge-Tailed Shearwater?

0.3+ kg

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Wedge-Tailed Shearwater?

10+ Jahre

Was ist der/die/das top Speed von Wedge-Tailed Shearwater?

60 km/h

Was frisst Wedge-Tailed Shearwater?

Feeds primarily on small fish, squid, and crustaceans captured at or just below the ocean's surface.

Wo findet man Wedge-Tailed Shearwater normalerweise?

Found across open tropical and subtropical oceans, nesting primarily on offshore sandy or rocky islands with low vegetation or loose soil suitable for digging burrows.