Birdr
  • Today
  • Life List
  • Community
Sign in
  • Today
  • Life List
  • Map
  • Trip Planner
  • Community
  • Field Guide
  • Skills
  • Gear Guides
  • Merch
Sign in
Made for birdrs, by birdrs  ·  Birdr ·  v0.1
Field GuideBlogAboutGear GuidesTrip PlannerCommunityBirdr ProPrivacy PolicyTermsSupport
Back to Field Guide
Great Shearwater

Great Shearwater

Ardenna gravis

Audubon Illustration

Audubon illustration of Great Shearwater

John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.

Migration Flyway

Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Great Shearwater

The great shearwater (Ardenna gravis) is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It breeds colonially on rocky islands in the South Atlantic. Outside the breeding season it ranges widely in the Atlantic.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Ardenna gravis
Family
Shearwaters and Petrels
Order
Procellariiformes

Similar species

Other members of the shearwaters and petrels family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Barolo Shearwater Puffinus baroli
  • Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow
  • Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata
  • Black-vented Shearwater Puffinus opisthomelas
  • Black-winged Petrel Pterodroma nigripennis
  • Bonin Petrel Pterodroma hypoleuca
  • Buller's Shearwater Ardenna bulleri
  • Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii
  • Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii
  • Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis
  • Cook's Petrel Pterodroma cookii
  • Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis

Know when the Great Shearwater turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Great Shearwater

Optics

Best Binoculars for Beginners

You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.

8 min readRead guide
Cameras

Cameras for Bird Photography

From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.

12 min readRead guide
Optics

Spotting Scopes for Distance Birding

Essential for shorebirds, raptors, and anything too far for binoculars. Our tested picks.

9 min readRead guide