slender-billed shearwater

bird

Also known as: Puffinus tenuirostris, short-tailed shearwater, whalebird(Show More)

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Last updated

June 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The slender-billed shearwater, also known as the short-tailed shearwater, is a species of seabird belonging to the family Procellariidae. These birds are characterized by their drab appearance and slender bills, typically measuring around 40 cm (16 inches) in length. They are named for their habit of gliding low over the ocean waves.1

Slender-billed shearwaters breed on islands in the Bass Strait of Australia and in Tasmania. They spend the rest of the year migrating across the Pacific Ocean. These birds are harvested in significant numbers for their meat and oil. They feed on small fish, crustaceans, and squid, often taking prey near the water's surface.12

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procellariiform
Importance to humans
…slender-billed, or short-tailed, shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) are taken on the Bass Strait islands off Tasmania and sold fresh, salted, or deep-frozen as “muttonbirds.” In all likelihood, the name muttonbird was derived from the use of the flesh as a supplement for mutton by the early settlers of New South…
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…slender-billed, or short-tailed, shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) are taken on the Bass Strait islands off Tasmania and sold fresh, salted, or deep-frozen as “muttonbirds.” In all likelihood, the name muttonbird was derived from the use of the flesh as a supplement for mutton by the early settlers of New South…
Read More

migration
In coastal and pelagic regions
In the Pacific, short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) nest in enormous colonies along the coasts of southern Australia and in Tasmania, then migrate across the western Pacific to Japan, remaining in the North Pacific and the Arctic Ocean from June to August. On the return migration they go east…
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In the Pacific, short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) nest in enormous colonies along the coasts of southern Australia and in Tasmania, then migrate across the western Pacific to Japan, remaining in the North Pacific and the Arctic Ocean from June to August. On the return migration they go east…
Read More

shearwater
The slender-billed, or short-tailed, shearwater (P. tenuirostris), which is called muttonbird in Australia and whalebird in Alaska, breeds on islands in the Bass Strait of Australia and in Tasmania. It spends the remainder of the year circumnavigating the Pacific. The bird is about 40 cm (16 inches) long,…
Read More
The slender-billed, or short-tailed, shearwater (P. tenuirostris), which is called muttonbird in Australia and whalebird in Alaska, breeds on islands in the Bass Strait of Australia and in Tasmania. It spends the remainder of the year circumnavigating the Pacific. The bird is about 40 cm (16 inches) long,…
Read More