Hawaiian Birds and Wedge-tailed Shearwater

The Wedge-tailed Shearwater is about the size of a pigeon, dark gray on their backs and tails, and light gray on their chests. Their webbed feet make it possible for them to kick off from the surface of the water or from the crest of a wave. Another special feature is called the tube nose, located at the base of the beak. The tube nose is connected to a gland which removes extra salt from the bird’s food and water, and protects the nostrils from salty ocean spray when they fly near the water. The pointed beak is also ideal for grabbing squid and small fish which they feed on. Flying close to the surface snatch prey from the water is the most commonly used hunting technique. But they also can dive during foraging trips to impressive depths.

Their common name is derived from the large wedge-shaped tail, which helps them to glide. Their bill is dark and their legs are flesh coloured, and set far back on the body, in common with the other shearwaters, as an adaptation for swimming. The shearwater got its name because it is a seabird that hunts for food by skimming close to the surface of the water, then plunging through the waves to catch the fish or squid it spotted from the air. ‘Shear’, meaning to cut or slice through, describes how this bird seems to slice through the ocean spray as it flies in search of food. You may pick out this bird by the way it flies close to the water as it searches for its food, and distinguish it from other shearwater in flight because of its wedge-shaped tail.

There are 50+ kinds of shearwaters in the world, but only a few kinds may be seen in Hawaii – Wedge-tailed, Newell’s, and Christmas are the most common. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus) can stay at sea for years, and have become a friendly indicator for fishermen. Schools of tuna often force smaller fish and squid to the surface of the ocean. When the shearwaters gather to feed in these areas fishermen know that there will be a school of tuna nearby for them to catch.