The Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) is a species of seabird.
Together with the equally light-billed Flesh-footed Shearwater, it forms the Hemipuffinus group, a superspecies which may or may not have an Atlantic relative in the Great Shearwater (Austin, 1996; Austin et al., 2004). These are large shearwaters which are among those that could be separated in the genus Ardenna (Penhallurick & Wink, 2004).
Description
The bird is 48 cm in size, with a 109 cm wingspan.
It is polymorphic, having both darker and lighter phase populations.
Distribution
This species is pelagic (over sea), occurring in the Pacific Ocean. It predominantly nests on offshore islands off Chile, i.e. Mocha Island.
It is a transequatorial migrant, moving toward subarctic waters of the Pacific after raising its young.
It is fairly common well off the west coast of the United States during the country’s warmer months.
Diet / Feeding
Pink-footed Shearwater feeds on mainly fish, squid and crustaceans.
Breeding / Nesting
This bird nests in burrows, preferring forested slopes. It is a colonial nester.
Status
Numbers of this shearwater are have been reduced due to predation by introduced species, such as rats and cats. Some loss of birds also occurs from becoming entangled in fishing gear.
