Birds · Procellariiformes · Procellariidae

Scopoli's Shearwater

Calonectris diomedea

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Cory's shearwater is the largest of the European shearwaters and one of the most characteristic seabirds of the Mediterranean and Macaronesia. It flies by alternating long glides with bursts of wingbeats, using the wind over the waves. It comes in to the colony only at night, and its call, a guttural wail recalling a child crying, is one of the most unsettling sounds of the night on the Mediterranean and Canarian islands.

Weight

817 g – 956 g

Size

45 cm – 56 cm

Lifespan

40 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanIslandsCarnivore Variable activity Colonial Bird Ocean Islands

30countries 5parks10same family

Fun facts

Its night-time call at the colonies is a guttural moaning likened to a baby crying or a cat mewing, and on several Mediterranean islands it has fed legends of tormented souls on the cliffs.
The chicks that leave the nest in autumn are disorientated by artificial lights and come down on roads and in villages: in the Canaries and the Balearics rescue campaigns are organised every year that collect thousands of young shearwaters to return them to the sea.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: The open sea of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic; it breeds on cliffs and islets in Macaronesia and the Mediterranean
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 54 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 1 egg

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calonectris_diomedea