Observations on the flesh-footed shearwater

Abstract

A dead specimen of the flesh- footed shearwater Ardenna carneipes (Gould, 1844) was collected on 21.07.2017 from Paravoor beach, Alappuzha district, Kerala. The bird had a total length of 40 cm (bill tip to tail tip) and a wingspan of 86 cm. The specimen was deposited in the National Designated Repository, ICAR- CMFRI, Kochi under the Accession No. Misc.36. The bird is distinguished from other shearwaters in this area, namely, the Persian shearwater, Audubon’s shearwater, Sooty shearwater, Wedge-tailed shearwater, Short-tailed shearwater and Streaked shearwater by its pale bill with distinct black tips. It also has darker underwings and a shorter rounded tail as compared to other shearwaters of the region. Its flight is described as “a stiff-winged glide interspersed with slow lazy flaps” (Kazmierczak, 2015, A field guide to the birds of the Indian Subcontinent, p.34).