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FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Do you find shearwaters, like the yelkouan shearwater, fascinating? Then here we have all the information on the wedge-tailed shearwater (Ardenna pacifica). This species of seabirds got its name owing to its wedge-shaped tail. They can be found mainly in the southern hemisphere, in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. These birds are found in Hawaii. The wedge-tailed shearwater Hawaiian name is 'Ua'u Kani. The 'Ua'u Kani, or wedge-tailed shearwater, is the largest among all shearwaters. The wedge-tailed shearwater feathers come in two morphs - dark and pale morph. However, both morph birds have slender bills and pale legs. The bill is usually dark slate gray-colored while the legs are flesh-colored. The females can be seen laying a single egg on average throughout the year according to their geographic range as the mating season of these birds occurs throughout the year. The incubation period for the egg is about 48-63 days. Both parents then care for the chicks. These chicks fledge at about 115 days. The primary diet of these birds consists of fish, like flying fish, squirrelfish, or goatfish. Squids and crustaceans can also be found in their diet. They search for prey close to the surface or just below the surface of the water.
Read on to know more about the wedge-tailed shearwaters and if you like this article, then also check out green heron facts and glossy ibis facts.
Wedge-tailed shearwater is a species of seabird.
The wedge-tailed shearwater belongs to the family Procellariidae and class Aves.
The global population of this tropical bird species is estimated to cross at least around 5,200,000 individual birds. They may be common throughout their habitat range, but their population is showing a decreasing trend.
Wedge-tailed shearwaters are primarily seen in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They breed off the coasts of various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans between the latitudes of 35 N and 35 S in the southern hemisphere, in islands off the west coast of Mexico, east and west coasts of Australia, Seychelles, Islands of Hawaii, Marshall Islands, Christmas Island, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia Islands, Samoan Islands, Fiji Islands, Norfolk Island, and more.
These tropical marine birds are strictly pelagic in nature. They are rarely seen on land unless they are staying in colonies during the breeding season. They breed in grasslands and forested areas of plateaux, flat ground, cliff tops, and slopes. This bird also breeds on atolls and offshore islands. This bird breeds in inshore waters only in east Australia.
Wedge-tailed shearwaters can be seen in small groups or as a single bird. Flocks of about 100-150 birds can be seen easily when they search for food. The largest flock of this species consists of about 3,500 birds near the Ka'ula Rock of the Hawaiian Islands. Their breeding also occurs in colonies.
These birds have an average lifespan of about 10-11 years.
The breeding season of the wedge-tailed shearwater bird occurs at different times throughout the year according to their geographic range. Like, the breeding season occurs around October–March at Chagos archipelago, it occurs around early August-late May in South Australia, or it occurs around early March-late November in Hawaii. Both sexes mature sexually at about four years of age. These birds show monogamous nature. Some birds arrive at the breeding colonies in late afternoons but mostly arrive at night. Some courtship behaviors can be seen among the two sexes, at night, the pair sit opposite each other and call duet songs, and in the day, the pair can be seen rubbing each other's neck and head. After copulation, the female can be seen laying a single oval, long, and white egg. After laying the egg, the pair or both parents then incubate the egg. The incubation period lasts for about 48-63 days. After the incubation period ends, both parents take care of the chick. The chick fledges at around 100-115 days after the egg has hatched.
The conservation status of this bird species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature is listed as of Least Concern. Some of the threats these birds are facing are scarcity of food owing to excessive fishing, pollution, human disturbances in the islands where they live, and invasive species. As these birds are still common, no conservation actions are being taken as of now.
The wedge-tailed shearwater is a large-sized shearwater species. They are polymorphic, so birds of a dark shade and of a light shade can be seen. All birds have a long tail, pale flesh-colored legs, a slender body, a dark slate gray-colored slender bill, a wedge-shaped tail, and a small head. The dark morph wedge-tailed shearwater has an overall brownish-black plumage. The head and back of these birds are black while it turns to a lighter brown as it edges towards the wings. Their underparts are dusky brown-colored while their forehead, throat, and chin are grayish-brown colored. The light morph birds have a paler appearance overall with their upperparts, nape, and head being dark brownish-gray in color while their underparts including their throat and chin are white. Light mottled patterns are visible on the undertail, flanks, and the sides of the breast. Their underwings are also white with broad dark edges. When in flight, the paler morphed wedge-tailed shearwaters look very similar to great shearwaters. The chicks look similar to adults, but with fresher plumage.
These large birds are quite beautiful. They look extremely graceful when in flight. They also don't show any aggressive behavior unless they are threatened.
These tropical birds primarily communicate vocally. The usual wedge-tailed shearwater call sounds like wails, loud moans, and groans. During courtship displays, a series of short calls can be heard from these birds. These calls mainly occur in breeding colonies during the night. When they are being aggressive during combat or defending their territory they utter strong calls.
An adult wedge-tailed shearwater is about 15-18.5 in (38-47 cm) in length and has a wingspan of about 31.2-42.9 in (97-109 cm) on average. They are larger in size than the little shearwater, which is about 9.8-11.8 in (25-30 cm) in length.
The exact speed at which the wedge-tailed shearwaters fly is not known. However, they have been seen to fly at a moderate pace by fluttering their wings quickly and sometimes by gliding.
An adult wedge-tailed shearwater weighs about 10.6-20.1 oz (300-570 g) on average.
The males of the species are called cocks and females of the species are called hens.
Baby wedge-tailed shearwaters are called chicks.
Wedge-tailed shearwater feeding habit is carnivorous in nature. They can be primarily seen feeding on different kinds of fish, like flying fish, goatfish, squirrelfish, and more. Their diet also consists of various types of crustaceans and squids. They mainly search for food during the day by contact dipping either just below the surface or searching close to the surface of the oceans.
No, these birds are not known to be poisonous at all.
These are wild tropical birds, so they don't make good pets. They also stay near oceans, and as such habitats are required for them to survive it's better to leave them in their natural habitat.
A wedge-tailed shearwater, diving, when foraging for food, can reach the depth of as far as 66 m (217 ft).
A wedge-tailed shearwater similar species is the Buller's shearwater (Puffinus bulleri). Buller's shearwater (Puffinus bulleri) looks closer to the pale morph wedge-tailed shearwaters. Buller's shearwater (Puffinus bulleri) has more white feathers.
Upon the arrival of breeding or mating season, these pairs of birds nest in burrows in the ground. They excavate these burrows in breeding colonies where the pairs take part in building the nests in the burrows.
No, these birds are not endangered. They are a species of Least Concern. They are facing some threats, like pollution, invasive species, human disturbances in their habitat range, or scarcity of food due to excessive fishing. However, they are still pretty common and the threats are not affecting their population on a large scale.
All shearwater birds get their names from their style of flight where they shear across the water in the ocean, mainly at the front of the waves. The wedge-tailed shearwaters especially got their name from their long wedge-shaped tail.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including the Australian pelican and common murre.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bird coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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